Vikings of Berk: Rise of the Dragons
by FictionalDrifter
Summary: What if Alvin had launched an attack on Berk BEFORE the events of HTTYD had fully played out? How would that have affected the events to follow? Read, and find out. {I don't own HTTYD, or any of the characters in this story.}
1. Chapter 1

**The Viking and the Night Fury**

_For 300 years, Vikings and dragons have fought each other – both sides locked in what seemed would be a never- ending war. But all of that was about to change. When a young Viking and a dragon form a bond, the world begins to change – and nothing would be as it had been..._

_Week One of Dragon Training – Astrid's P.O.V._

Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruff, Tuff, and Snotlout had finally started Dragon Training. It began as one might expect – Astrid was focused and determined. The others were doing their best, and achieving... 'Varying' levels of success. Hiccup seemed to be doing all he could just to stay alive – At least... at first.

Then something changed. Hiccup started appearing in the right place – at the right time. And – as soon as Dragon Training finished for the day, he'd disappear into the woods. The others didn't seem to notice – or care, Astrid was getting suspicious. –– The Zippleback, the Gronkle, and the Terrible Terror... No, something else was going on.

Astrid would've Hiccup directly, but – as always, he'd disappear before she could corner him.

The one time she'd so much as glimpse him was by accident – when she'd been practicing her axe- throwing in the woods. She'd heard a sound from behind her, and spun around. Their eyes had met for perhaps five seconds, and then he was gone – leaping between two boulders, down a shallow slope. Though by the time she'd reached the boulders, he was gone – so... she didn't know where he'd gone.

She'd started out as being annoyed and curious. Now it was just getting annoying. '_What are you up to, Hiccup_?'

_Week One of Dragon Training – Hiccup's P.O.V._

Since the afternoon that Hiccup had chanced upon Astrid in the woods, he'd been using extreme caution, as he made his way through the woods. His destination: the cove where he'd been spending every afternoon, this past week – and where his new friend waited.

The extra time he was taking gave him plenty of time to reflect over everything that had happened that week – and a lot had happened...

_It had begun one evening, a few days before Dragon Training would begin – not that Hiccup would be allowed to join in. The not- uncommon cry of "Dragon attack!" had been sounded, and Hiccup wanted to prove himself... as always – and despite: One, being a 'hiccup', and Two, having been giving orders from Chief Stoick – his father, "not to get in the way". Hiccup knew better than to __fight__ a dragon, but he'd built countless devices to help... though they didn't always work like they were supposed to..._

_That night, he'd set his sights on the highest prize of all: the elusive Night Fury – a dragon no- one had ever seen... except for those who'd been killed by one, if that counted. _

_That night, it had worked – the met had launched and it had snared its target! –– Then the rope had broken, and he'd heard the dragon veer away – heading inland. Just like that, his proof was gone, and he was back to square- one. (However, he'd been allowed to join Dragon Training. He knew no- one believed the Night- Fury 'story' but... it was something, he figured.)_

He'd reached the boulders that hid the entrance to the cove, and slipped through them. As soon as he was through, Toothless was on him – licking his face. Grinning, Hiccup extricated himself from under the Night Fury – already remembering the afternoon he'd found this dragon...

_He'd spent all of the following morning – and a chunk of the afternoon, trying to find where the Night Fury had fallen... So far: Nothing. He'd almost given up, when he had seen several broken trees – forming a 'path'... of a sort – leading off to one side. Eagerly, he'd followed it – until he found the cove. Until he'd found the Night Fury..._

_He'd meant to kill it – he'd even unsheathed his knife. Then he had looked the dragon in the eye – and something... Something happened – for a moment, he felt... connected to this dragon. He'd lowered his knife – he couldn't kill it. Instead, he'd used his dagger to cut through the net – freeing the dragon._

_Then the dragon was on its feet – staring at him. Again their eyes met, and again Hiccup felt a presence touch his mind – examining it... learning. –– Minutes passed, and then the dragon's mind began to withdraw. Before it broke the connection, a voice said, __**'Thank – you.'**_

_Hiccup had returned every afternoon, since – staying there until sunset. The dragon was there – every day. Hiccup had a feeling that it stayed for the same reason he kept returning. Somehow, a bond was beginning to form, between them..._

_On the third afternoon, the dragon 'drew' a maze of crisscrossing lines in the dirt. Whenever Hiccup stepped on a line, the dragon growled until Hiccup raised his foot. Understanding, the young Viking devoted his full attention to the maze. When he finished, he froze – aware that the Night Fury was standing right behind him. Forcing himself to remain calm, he turned – keeping his gaze lowered, and reaching one had back – stopping a half- foot from the dragon's snout. A moment later, the dragon rested its head in his palm... _

A 'voice' jolted Hiccup back to reality, **'What are you thinking? – You do not seem yourself.'** Toothless's ability to 'speak' had improved exponentially – since their bond had fully established itself. (He'd even been amused by the name that Hiccup had given him – which he'd unknowingly earned when he'd retracted his teeth, during Hiccup's first visit to the cove.)

"Astrid spotted me, yesterday – as I made my way here. I've been a little on- edge." Hiccup sighed. – He'd explained the dangers of their being discovered – several days earlier, so Toothless merely nodded his understanding.

'**I can't be kept secret forever, though.'** Toothless pointed out. **'And it would be best if the information came from you – a controlled revelation. I have learned much from you and you from me – but perhaps there is something else I should teach you: How to imitate a Night Fury call.'** Seeing the stunned expression on Hiccup's face, Toothless chuckled, and continued. **'I know of no other Night Furies – so I wouldn't mistake you for another, and it would be good for you to have a means to contact me – should the need ever arise.'**

Toothless demonstrated, and Hiccup tried to imitate him. He got it, and after a surprisingly short time – too. "Another perk to having a bond with a Night Fury, I'm guessing?" Hiccup was grinning.

'**One of many,'** Toothless agreed – smugly.

When the sun was beginning to set, Hiccup and Toothless said their goodbyes. Then Hiccup set off on the return- trip to Berk, and Toothless soared into the say – wheeling towards the ocean, to catch his supper.

As with the previous nights, Hiccup was able to quietly slip into his house without drawing too much attention. – Though it was getting harder, as news of his accomplishments in Dragon Training spread. 'Toothless is right,' Hiccup thought to himself. 'This won't stay a secret forever.'

_**To be continued...**_


	2. Chapter 2

**The Outcasts**

The following day started normally enough. The villagers got up, ate, and started about their various tasks for the day.

In fact, it was only when Hiccup and the others assembled for Dragon Training that the day took its first unexpected turn. As Gobber said, "You've already been 'introduced' to all of the dragons that we've got here. That is, except for the Monstrous Nightmare – He'll only get to meet one of you... briefly." Gobber chuckled, and then continued. "Today, you'll be working at getting a net over your target – in this case, that wagon." He gestured at the wagon, which stood in the middle of the arena."

Snotlout snorted, "Throwing nets? What good is that?"

Gobber shot him a look, "For one, you might need to _catch_ a dragon – before you can kill it. They're not going to stand there and let you chop their heads, you know." Gobber paused for a moment, but no one else objected. "In addition to that, this exercise will help you learn each other's strengths and weaknesses – which are essentials for good teamwork."

"Those of us who _have_ strengths, that is," Snotlout muttered – but everyone else ignored him.

They got to work. Simple as it sounded, the exercise proved to be... eventful. But – by the end of the lesson, they were getting the net fully around the wagon... most of the time. Obviously, Gobber wasn't satisfied with this, "I think we all know what we'll be doing tomorrow."

Just then, an adult Viking – Sven, ran into the Dragon Arena. He was armed for battle, and out of breath. When he finally managed to speak, he said, "Alvin... Outcasts... boats sighted." Once he'd caught his breath, he started over. "Outcast boats have been sighted – We're preparing for battle. Chief's said you're all to stay here. He's sending the women and children – everyone who's not fighting – here, too."

Gobber nodded. "Got it – We'll barricade the outer door when the others get here. Once it's closed, no one's getting in – _or out_." Snotlout was about to argue, but Gobber shot him a hard look.

The other villagers arrived – not long after Sven left them. Then the supply bins and wagon were pushed in front of the outer doors, so that they could no longer be opened from the outside.

Once they'd finished, the six students and Gobber gathered together in the middle of the arena to talk – and otherwise pass the time. Meanwhile, the other villagers gathered at the end of the arena furthest from the dragon enclosures.

Astrid wasted no time in taking advantage of Hiccup's inability to slip away. "You've made a lot of progress, this past week. Can you tell us how you did it?"

This immediately captured the attention of everyone who heard – even a few of the villagers came forward to join them. Then more, until they were all clustered in the middle of the arena. Astrid smirked, slightly. Hiccup was trapped, and – from the look on his face, Astrid could tell that he knew it too.

Hiccup sighed, "It's a long story – but... just listen to all of it, before you jump to conclusions." There was a general murmur of agreement."

"It started on the night of the last dragon attack..."

"You mean when you 'shot down that Night Fury'?" Snotlout interjected, snickering – before noticing that everyone else was glaring at him. "Ok – ok – Sorry."

Hiccup continued, "Yes – then. Anyways, I spent most of the next day trying to find where the Night Fury had landed. Finally, around mid- afternoon... I found it." Hiccup waited for a chorus of exclamations – mostly of disbelief or scorn – to subside. Then – with a trace of impatience in his voice, said, "That's two interruptions now – if there's a third, I'm stopping there." –– Silence fell.

"The Night Fury had landed in a... well- sheltered cove. It was still tangled up in my net – it could barely move. I... I was going to kill it, but... then I looked it in the eye. Something... Something happened... some kind of connection opened. After that, I just... _couldn't_ kill it. I cut the net – and released it. It could have killed me then, but... it looked me in the eye. For a moment... it... it was like I could see what it was thinking. Then it reached into my mind – examining, learning as it went. Then – before it pulled away, it spoke... in my mind. It said, 'Thank you.'"

"I went back the next afternoon – every afternoon since. This... this 'bond' had started to form – each of us learning from the other. Then – yesterday, he taught me how to imitate a Night Fury call. He said that... that it would be 'good for me to have a means to contact him – should the need ever arise.'"

Suddenly, there was shouting from outside, "Break the door down! Alvin sent us to get hostages, and that's what we're going to do!" –– Then came the sound of axes, chopping at the door.

Gobber got to his feet, and hurried off to check the gate. When he returned, his face was grim. "It'll hold, but not for long." Before panic could spread, he turned to face Hiccup. "You said you can call this dragon friend of yours? – Well... now might be a good time."

Snotlout leapt to his feet – incredulous, "You believe him?"

"In a situation like this, I'm open to suggestions," Gobber turned back to Hiccup. "Go on – let's hear this Night Fury call."

All eyes were on Hiccup as he got to his feet, cupped his hands around his mouth – and called to Toothless. Then he paused for a few seconds, and repeated the call. When he looked around, he saw that all eyes were on him. –– Some of the villagers appeared stunned, others uncertain – but they all looked afraid.

Then, a moment later, Hiccup's call was answered. Turning back to Gobber, Hiccup grinned, and said – to the group at large, "He's on his way."

A few minutes passed, and then they heard the Outcasts outside shouting – "Odin's Ghost – What is that?" "Beard of Thor..." Then their shouts were drowned out – by the blood- chilling shriek that heralded the arrival of a Night Fury... "EEEeeeeEEEEEEeeeeeeeEEEEE..."

Then a black shape shot between the wood- and- metal bars – placed over the arena to prevent the captive dragons from flying away, when freed from their enclosures. –– The creature made flew several laps around the arena, until it had slowed enough to land. When it did, it trotted over to where Hiccup waited, "Hey, bud – good to see you!"

A moment later, Hiccup and the other villagers felt the touch of the Night Fury's mind – and the dragon said, **'You as well, Hiccup – though from what I saw on my way here, I gather this is not a social- call?'**

"No, we're under at– " Then there was the crash of wood – as the gate to the Dragon Arena gave way, followed by the sounds of men forcing their way through the dislodged barricades.

'**We'll catch- up later. For now, get behind me – Give me room to fight.'** Nobody had a problem with that. A moment later, Toothless had the space he'd asked for – and the villagers had settled- down to watch.

Then the Outcasts were in the arena. There were twelve of them – At first.

After 'a few' warning- shots – all aimed hit the ground by their feet, the Outcasts split up to come at the dragon from both sides. Toothless allowed one group to approach from one side, while he launched three more plasma- blasts – each of which slammed two Outcasts into the far wall – with enough force to them knock them out.

The he swung his tail around – knocking all but one of the Outcasts who'd been 'sneaking up on him' off their feet, and into the wall – where they slumped to the ground, also unconscious.

This left only the man who'd lead the group – the only member of the second group out of range of Toothless's tail.

Now he found himself _facing_ the dragon alone – with a mere five feet separating them.

Then the dragon spoke again – but while they could all hear him, he directed his words you the Outcast leader. **'You're probably wondering what my shot- limit is – right about now, aren't you?'** The Outcast gulped, and nodded. **'Unlike most dragons, a Night Fury's shot- limit increases as we grow – sometimes as high as thirteen or fourteen. I am not fully- grown though, so mine is currently at eight. So far, I think I've used all eight... or am I at seven? – I... may have lost track...'** The man gulped again. **'So – there's one question you should be asking yourself now...'**

The Outcast finally found his voice – sort of. "D-d-d- Do I feel lucky?"

'**No.'** Toothless's tail shot around, clubbed the Outcast on head. **'Right answer: "Why wasn't I watching for his tail?"'** The man crumpled to the ground. Turning back to the villagers, he added, **'It **_**might**_** be a good idea to take their weapons now – You know... **_**before**_** they come- to, maybe? – It's just a thought.'**

The villagers were gaping at the Night Fury in stunned disbelief.

Gobber was first to unfreeze, "Uh... Good point. Astrid, Ruff, and Tuff – you three gather their weapons. Snotlout – you help me round them up. We'll need to decide what to do with them."

_Meanwhile, a short distance off- shore..._

Even before the 'battle' began, Stoick could tell that something was wrong. –– Alvin had only sent six ships against them? Even with the short notice they'd been given, they'd been able to get twice that number ready and on the water...

When the battle had begun, his feeling of disquiet had turned into certainty: This battle was only a distraction. Then he heard a commotion rising from where the Dragon Training Arena stood – and he felt a cold touch of dread: The distraction may already have worked...

He gave orders for most of his ships to hold their positions, while his and two other boats returned to Berk – Immediately. As the men carried out his orders, Stoick prayed that they weren't too late...

_Half- hour later, back at the Dragon Training Arena..._

If the villagers who'd been waiting in the arena had been 'surprised' by what they'd seen, it was nothing compared to what Stoick and his men felt – when they beheld the scene.

Hiccup was sitting on the back of a jet- black dragon – a Night Fury, someone had said. The other villagers – who'd only just gotten over _their_ shock – were talking to Hiccup (from a safe distance), and to each other. If all of that wasn't (more than) enough, twelve unconscious Outcast warriors lay slumped on the arena floor – defeated by the Night Fury, who – apparently, was a _friend of his son's..._

With an effort of will, Stoick turned his attention to the subject of what to do with their prisoners. "I don't think we should keep them here... If they managed to escape, they could kill us in our beds, or actually take hostages – like they tried to today."

Gobber agreed – but, "How do we get them to leave? If we just let them go, what's to stop them from lying- low, then attacking again?"

They stopped when they heard the clicking of claws on stone – as Hiccup and Toothless appeared. Then, **'Why not let me deal with them?'** – The presence Stoick felt touch his mind, coupled with the dragon's matching gesture towards their captives added _another_ shock to Stoick's day.

'The dragon can talk... of course – Why not?' Stoick shrugged, and motioned for the dragon to go ahead – Words being more than he could deal with, at this point.

The dragon approached the still- unconscious prisoners – and silence fell, as people turned to see what he would do. Toothless nudged several with his snout, and 'said', **'Wakey, wakey.'** The Outcasts began to stir, though when they opened their eyes and saw the dragon, all color left their faces – One managed to say, "You... You're a... a... a dragon!"

'**Yes – I've noticed. BOO! No, that's not it...' –– "RRROOOAAARRR!"** The Outcasts bolted for the arena door, and down to where they'd left their boat – screaming and shouting the entire way. The dragon made a sound that... sounded like laughter, and said, **'I swear by my own egg, this was the most fun I've had in **_**years!'**_

_That_ startled a round of laughter the Vikings gathered in the arena. Once it had died down, Toothless turned to Stoick. **'I imagine you would have... a few questions for me. Once the rest of your tribe has returned – I will answer them, if I can.'**

_**To be continued...**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Questions Answered**

Stoick had sent men to tell the returning Viking warriors about Toothless – and of how the Night Fury had thwarted an Outcast attack on those sheltering in the Dragon Training Arena. He also gave orders that they all gather in the village square – to hear the answers that Toothless had promised.

However, the returning warriors didn't seem to have believed the story... that is, until they actually saw the dragon – standing calmly, next to Hiccup and several other villagers. Then the familiar series of expressions flowed over the warriors' faces: fear, then shock/ disbelief, finally – curiosity.

When they were all assembled, Stoick turned to Toothless, "Well... You said you would answer any questions I had..."

'**I did.'** Those who had yet to feel the touch on the Night Fury's Mind jumped – as did a number of those who had already heard the dragon 'speak'.

"There are many things that I would ask, but I will start with the most pressing topic: Why is your kind – the dragons – raiding us for food? Why not hunt for yourselves?"

'**Ah – I thought you would ask about that. Now – I myself, do not part in those raids. The others do so because they have no other choice.'** Toothless turned to Gobber, then, **'You teach the dragon- **_**training**_** classes – Correct?'**

The way the Night Fury said 'training' made Gobber hesitate before answering, but finally he said, "Aye – but... we've got to defend ourselves..."

'**Defence is one thing – training your young **_**specifically**_** to **_**kill**_** us is another matter – But that is a topic for another time. In any case: Are you familiar with the species of dragon known as the **_**Red Death**_** – and, if so – what do you know of them?'**

Gobber seemed surprised by the question, but he thought for a few minutes, then said, "The 'Red Death' is said to be by far the largest of dragons. They have a club- like tail, huge jaws... and a next to insatiable appetite. – But what does it matter? There's no such thing... they're just a legend..."

'**They are very rare, but they are as real as I am. They are also cannibalistic. If they do not find enough food – or if enough food is not brought to them – they will eat their own kind.'** Toothless returned his gaze to Stoick. **'Why do the others of my kind raid you for food, you ask? – The reason is simple: If they do not feed **_**her**_**, then **_**she**_** will eat them.'**

There was a moment's silence, then Stoick said, "Do you mean to say that... that there is a _Red Death_ living in your nest – forcing the other dragons to hunt for her?"

Toothless nodded, **'Yes. Your people have killed many of us, and **_**she**_** eats any who defy her – though it has been decades since any have dared to challenge her. The only reason I am not also under her power has been my ability to evade her. She and I are at an impasse: She can't catch me, and I am not strong enough to challenge her.'**

"But... Aren't there other Night Furies? – If you all joined forces..." Stoick let his sentence trail off, as a feeling of profound sorrow flowed across the link from the Night Fury's mind.

'**I have not seen any other Night Furies in years, now. Not since I was separated from my colony – during a particularly bad storm. As far as I know – I am the last of my kind.'**

There were several minutes of silence, after that. – The entire crowd of Vikings appeared stricken. While only a half- hour ago, any one of them would have killed the Night Fury on- sight... the very idea now seemed an unthinkable crime.

Then Toothless spoke – projecting into their minds, **'There is good news, however. There is a legend – one my race has passed- down for years beyond counting: It tells of a human and a dragon joining forces and finally ending our conflict. It was said that a bond would form between the dragon and this human... who would become the first "dragon- rider." – A bond unlike anything that anyone else could even begin to imagine...**

**... When I first heard the tale, I didn't believe it. But now...'** Toothless paused, and turned to look at Hiccup, **'Now I believe the time it spoke of has come.'**

Hiccup felt... less surprised than he'd expected – In fact, a lot of things finally made sense... "The day that I found you in the cove, while you were trapped in the net... the connection that opened! You learned our language – and how life in Berk worked..."

'**... And you began to learn about the dragons from me. – Yes,"** Toothless finished.

If it was possible for the Vikings crowded in front of them to look more surprised that they already were, they did. Foremost among them was Stoick – Hiccup's father.

When Stoick was finally able to speak, he said, "Is... is it really possible? Could Vikings and dragons really coexist?"

'**The only thing in the way – at present, is the Red Death. As the bond between Hiccup and me continues to grow, it is said that the structure of your language and life will be first understood – than learned by the rest of my kind. Soon, all dragons will gain the ability to communicate – even as I am now.'**

Stoick nodded, "Than its clear what must be done: the Red Death must be destroyed. All we need to know is where to find the nest..."

'**Before we do... I believe it would be wise to pair others with dragons of their own. – It was said that Hiccup is to be **_**the **_**first dragon- rider – not **_**the **_**only one. He will be able to bond with almost any dragon – and can help others do the same. –– When all preparations have been made, I will show you the way to the dragons' nest...'**

_**To be continued...**_


	4. Chapter 4

**On The Back of a Night Fury**

_Later, the same day..._

_Astrid's P.O.V._

Astrid had too many thoughts flying around, inside her head. – The Outcasts' attack, Hiccup's story about how he'd met Toothless, _and_ Toothless's tale of how a 'Red Death' had been forcing the other dragons to raid Berk – and other places – for food...

The rest of that afternoon was spent making plans, and general preparations. The work would resume the following day – when Hiccup would help the yet- unannounced _dragon- riders_ 'connect' with the five dragons living in the enclosures – just off of the Dragon Training Arena.

Astrid had worked with the other villagers – of course, but in- between tasks, her mind had wandered. More often than not, Astrid found herself thinking about Hiccup – and of the legend that Toothless had shared. Every time, the same thoughts would run through her mind: _'In order for that legend to work... the human – Hiccup – __couldn't__ have been "like other Vikings". If he had been – and he'd still managed to build his net- launcher... he would __never__ have bonded with Toothless...'_ But they had bonded, and Hiccup now had the full and willing support of a Night Fury behind him... Technically, this made him 'stronger' than _any_ Viking... or even the dozen Outcasts that Toothless had defeated – at Hiccup's unspoken request...

However many times she thought about the subject – from however many different angles, she continued to come to the same conclusion: She was starting to... well, 'like' Hiccup – or rather... starting to _realize_ that she liked him. '_One of the two,_' Astrid told herself – though she had a feeling she already knew which one it was...

When night came – and her mind was still churning, she decided to take a walk. Hopefully some fresh air would help her clear her head. Once outside, Astrid started to walk towards a near- by cliff – one that offered an incredible view of the ocean...

She was almost there, when she felt a presence touch her mind – and a voice said, **'It seems that we have company, Hiccup...'**

_Hiccup's P.O.V._

After Toothless's revelation – and the other villagers had set about making their preparations, the two of them made their way to the Dragon Training Arena. As they walked, Hiccup asked Toothless about the legend. The dragon responded by saying, **'It was my intention to tell you about it today. – I would have told you sooner, but I wanted to be sure I had recalled all the details – and give a full and accurate description.'** Hiccup nodded, and from there on to the arena, the two discussed possibilities as to who might make for suitable dragon- riders...

When they reached the arena, Hiccup made a round of the enclosures. He introduced himself, and talked to the dragons. He was surprised how quickly they 'took to him,' particularly in the case of the Monstrous Nightmare – but Toothless was not, **'They know who and what you are – I told you would be able to bond with most other dragons.'**

They'd released the dragons from their enclosures, and spent most of the afternoon at the Dragon Arena. As the sky began to darken, they returned the dragons safely to their enclosures, and headed back into the village.

They did not – however, go home. Instead, they stopped near the edge of a cliff – one that offered an incredible view of the ocean. They had been there for... perhaps an hour, when Toothless heard something – and turned back towards the village. Then he said, **'It seems that we have company, Hiccup...'**

_At the cliff – Present time..._

It's hard to know who was more surprised to see the other – though Hiccup recovered the fastest. Hiccup _thought_ he glimpsed a faint flush on Astrid's cheeks – just before Astrid herself recovered. Greetings were exchanged, then Toothless said, **'We were just discussing who to select as possible riders.'**

"Have you picked anyone, yet?" Astrid was careful to keep her attention on Toothless – knowing she'd _have to_ look at Hiccup again soon, and not wanting to risk another blush. (She knew she 'liked' Hiccup, but couldn't bring herself to talk about it – With anyone. – She just... didn't know what to do with her feelings...)

"Well... Since I'm supposed to be the first rider – we're thinking it'd make the most sense to pick people closer to my own age – Maybe the six of us who're in Dragon Training." –– As soon as the words left Hiccup's mouth, Astrid found herself imagining herself and Hiccup – flying their respective dragons through an otherwise empty sky... She hurriedly forced her mind back to the present.

Toothless chose not to comment on Astrid's "I'm-having- a- daydream" expression – even though the dragon's night- vision was so good he couldn't have missed it. Instead, the Night Fury projected its thoughts so only Astrid could hear, and said, **'I don't share others' secrets. – Tell him when you are ready.'**

Hiccup – who'd missed Astrid's expression, and Toothless's comment, took Astrid's silence as a sign of uncertainty, "Flying is incredible! – You guys will love it, believe me."

Astrid scrambled to find an answer, but Toothless spoke up, **'Why don't the three of us go for a short flight now – It would be good to stretch my wings before we turn- in for the night.'**

The two of them agreed, and – moments later, the three of them were in the air. For a time, they drifted through the lower clouds – which were light and wispy. Then Toothless carried them through – and the sky filled first with stars, then with a seemingly endless river of color.

On the pretense of keeping her balance, Astrid wrapped her arms around Hiccup – who sat in- front of her. Time seemed to slow – as they drifted there.

Finally, Toothless said, **'It's getting late. We'd best head back – there is much to be done, today.'** –– With obvious reluctance, the three of them returned to the cliff they'd started from. From there, Astrid returned home – and Hiccup and Toothless did the same.

_**To be continued...**_


	5. Chapter 5

**The Riders of Berk**

The preparations resumed the following morning – though a number of villagers had followed Hiccup, Toothless, and their friends to the Dragon Training Arena. When everyone had gathered in the Great Hall – that morning, Hiccup and Toothless had explained who they'd chosen to be the first Riders, and why.

A few of the five had needed some convincing (- mainly Fishlegs), but they had eventually agreed. Now they were gathered in the arena – The time had come.

First, Hiccup released the Monstrous Nightmare from its enclosure – to startled and frightened exclamations from the watchers. The fear was short- lived, as the people saw that Hiccup had the Nightmare under control – and was guiding it, slowly, to where Snotlout stood.

There was a scary moment; when Hiccup tried to 'pass' control over to Snotlout, and Snotlout had faltered. The dragon reared its head up, but Hiccup was able to calm both Snotlout and the Nightmare – and a moment later, Snotlout found himself standing with one hand on the snout of the _relaxed_ Nightmare. Slowly, Hiccup backed away – and Snotlout relaxed.

Toothless – who'd been standing near- by, ready to jump- in – also relaxed, and the watchers clapped. (Hiccup had told them not to make any loud noises – so as not to spook the dragons.)

Next, Hiccup lead Astrid toward the Deadly Nadder – and a moment later, Astrid also had one hand on her dragon's snout. Hiccup said, "Deadly Nadders are loyal, and not to be underestimated – Common ground. I've got a feeling that the two of you will make a great team." Astrid grinned back at him, and Hiccup could tell she'd caught the quiet compliment – and approved of Hiccup's reasoning.

Fishlegs was visibly nervous when Hiccup lead him over to the Gronkle. However, like the others – he soon found himself with one hand on his dragon, and his nervousness fading.

This left the twins – Ruff and Tuff, to share the Hideous Zippleback. A moment after the twins and the dragon had made their initial connection; the twins began to fight – moments later, the Zippleback heads followed their example. Hiccup rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Apparently you're already on the same page... I just hope that's a _good_ thing."

By noon, all the necessary preparations were complete – and the warriors who would help fight the Red Death gathered near the docks. When the dragons and their riders appeared, a current of surprise flowed across their faces – though they were quick to recover.

Finally, Toothless was satisfied. **'The dragons' nest is on an island in the middle of a circle of rocky cliffs, and jagged rocks jutting up from under the water. There is only one safe path through, and its entrance is not unknown to you – though none who've entered would have returned. You would know the entrance as "Hellhiem's Gate."'** There was a moment of silence, which the Night Fury interpreted correctly, because it added, **'It is a dangerous path, unless you know the way – as only a dragon could. In fact, whenever your ships attempted to follow us, we'd deliberately fly over the shallow rocks. – It was far better for the men on those ships to run aground outside, than to meet the monster within.'**

It was several minutes before Stoick said, "Very well – We sail for Hellhiem's Gate!"

Before long, everyone was on- board – and for the first time in a great many years, the full fleet of the Vikings of Berk set sail.

_Several hours later..._

The row of cliffs bordering Hellhiem's Gate had been visible for almost an hour, now – and they were drawing closer by the minute. Already, the cliffs towered over their heads... **'When we arrive, I will tell you which way to turn – in order to avoid the rocks. Be warned: Timing is essential. Turn too late, or too early – and my assistance will mean nothing. To the boats that follow: Keep your eye on the one in front, and turn as and when they do.'**

After that – and a few changes in who manned the tiller, on a few boats – they were entering the gaping opening, known as Hellhiem's Gate...

After nearly a half- hour of: **'Left... Right... Left... Hold this... Right, and hold that... Left... Right... Right... Hard left...'** they came out into sunlight. About two- hundred feet in front of them, was a stretch of sandy beach. Even as the other ships continued to follow them in; Stoick, Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff, their dragons, and the other men on their boat, saw a tall cliff on the far side of the beach – rising into the sky...

On a ledge, high above them, they could see several tails being hurriedly pulled out of view.

They reached the beach, and the Vikings began to build catapults. Meanwhile, Stoick and his advisors – as well as Hiccup, Toothless, and the other Riders, gathered to discuss strategy.

_**To be continued...**_


	6. Chapter 6

**The Battle of the Red Death**

The plan was – largely, Toothless's idea. The Riders of Berk would hang back, while the bulk of the Viking host drew it out and worked to weaken it. Then the Riders were to take over, with continued ground- assistance from the larger Berk host. Then Hiccup and Toothless would strike the final blow.

When everything was ready, Stoick gave the signal – then the catapults went to work. Several dozen boulders slammed into the section of cliff wall that Toothless had said was the weakest. Sure enough, the single volley weakened then broke through the section of wall...

An instant later, dragons began to pour through the breach. Toothless roared something up to them, and some circled back – landing on ledges, out of the way. Others continued to fly up, and away.

Then they heard the roar – and any question of the existence of the Red Deaths left the minds of the gathered warriors. It was a simple truth: No other species of dragon could roar like that.

Then the side of the cliff exploded outwards, and the Red Death appeared. No comparison would have done the creature justice. Its clawed feet were larger than the Viking boats. Its jaws were big enough to crush a catapult – Proven fact. The Viking lines broke, as the warriors rushed to their fallback positions.

Then the riders and their dragons shot forward – followed by the other wild- dragons that had heeded Toothless's call. Together, they attacked the Red Death – A deadly combination of strategic combat, and pure instinct.

For the first time in history, Vikings and dragons were fighting together.

The Red Death was powerful, however – and before long, it felled enough of the remaining wild- dragons that the rest fled – leaving the five with riders.

They had made their mark, however. The Red Death had begun to breathe fire more sparingly – as though it was nearing its shot- limit...

Then it saw Toothless, and its eyes bulged – and it opened its wings, and rose into the air.

By now; Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruff, Tuff, and their dragons had had to withdraw. Astrid soon joined them – having narrowly avoided being eaten by the Red Death, and falling to her death. – Saved from fates both by their friendly, neighborhood Night Fury and Rider. Astrid reluctantly accepted that her part in this battle was over, and joined the others – who watched from the ground.

Meanwhile, Hiccup and Toothless had risen into the dark clouds over the Dragons' Nest – followed closely by the Red Death. Now, all that could be seen were the flashes of Toothless's plasma- blasts. – A feeling of fear gripped the watchers, as they realized that Toothless would have now reached his shot- limit...

A moment later, Hiccup and Toothless shot out of the clouds – veering towards an undamaged part of the nest, and shortly followed by the Red Death.

Even as they watched, the Red Death released the cloud of red gas – which it would than ignite to breathe fire...

Then they heard Hiccup shout, "NOW!" The Night Fury spun, and shot one last plasma- blast – igniting the giant's own gassy breath, and propelling it backwards, setting its owner's insides on fire...

A moment later, the Red Death slammed into the ground – vanishing in a massive explosion... but there was no sign of Hiccup and Toothless...

_Twenty minutes later..._

They found the Night Fury standing next to Hiccup, who lay unconscious. Seeing them, the Night Fury said, **'The Red Death's tail managed to clip us as we made our descent. It broke the straps of Hiccup's saddle, and he fell. – I managed to catch him, but it was a rough landing... He'll be fine, but he needs rest.'**

Stoick nodded, "Then let's get back to Berk. Hiccup will be more comfortable in his own bed."

_**To be continued...**_


	7. Chapter 7

**The Vision and the Sign**

Hiccup was surrounded by blinding light. The last thing he remembered was being knocked from Toothless's saddle, after they'd collided with the other dragon's club- like tail. He remembered falling toward the fireball and Toothless trying to catch him... then he was here – wherever 'here' was.

A terrifying thought occurred to Hiccup, and he asked, "Am I dead?" Though he wasn't sure if he expected – or wanted – that question answered.

But a voice _did_ answer – deep, like Toothless, but... it wasn't Toothless. The dragon 'spoke' by touching the mind of whoever he wanted to talk to – and projecting his words across the link. This voice spoke aloud. It said, **"No, you are not dead – nor are you about to die."**

The light began to fade, and Hiccup was able to catch a glimpse of the figure standing in front of him. To his surprise, he recognized him – from tapestries in the Great Hall, and from Viking legends. But... it couldn't be... "Thor! You're... you're Thor – the God of Thunder!" He knew he should kneel – or bow, but he was too stunned to move.

Thor nodded – fortunately, he seemed to be in a good mood. **"You've passed our test, Hiccup."**

"Sorry... but, what test?" His mind was getting clearer, but he had no inkling as to what 'test' Thor was talking about.

"**It was not of you, specifically – but of the Vikings in general. Since the dragons were born, all mortal men saw them as animals. To be killed for honor and glory – never as potential friends, or allies. And yet by turning an old enemy into a new friend – as you did with the Night Fury – you did what neither of your two races could have done alone. In doing so, you have broken the divide between your races – proven that both may coexist – and proven yourself worthy to Oversee the transition. This will be your purpose for the rest of your mortal life. Once this life ends, you will join us in Asgard – as the First of the Dragon Lords – both you, and Toothless." **Thor grinned, **"Given the past three centuries, many of us this would **_**never**_** come to pass. Yet here you are."**

Hiccup wasn't sure what to say, but he finally settled on, "But... am I really worthy? I mean... I'm a 'hiccup'... I've never been good at – well, anything."

Thor appeared amused by this.** "In some ways, only a 'hiccup' could accomplish this. Give a man a sword, and he will swing it. Give one the strength to strike hard – and hard he will strike. But a 'hiccup' with a clever and open mind, could see the path you have taken. You ask if you are worthy, but you have already proven that you are."**

The light had grown blinding again, so Hiccup could no longer see Thor. He could, however, hear him.

"**When you wake, you will find yourself back on Berk – on the second day following your victory at the nest. Most of what I have just told you, you will have forgotten. You will, however, remember this: 'Your fate is tied with that of the dragons – Make them a part of the world you live in.' Tell your people I told you to do this. I will send a sign that should convince those who would doubt you. Now, wake."**

_Back on Berk..._

When Hiccup awoke, he was in his bed – in his room. Across the room stood Toothless, the Night Fury.

As soon as the dragon saw that Hiccup was awake, he was at his bedside – nudging Hiccup with his head. "Hey, Toothless – good to see you too, bud."

'**Up. Get up – there's something you need to see.'**

"Ok, ok – I'm getting up." Hiccup swung his legs to the side of his bed, and got to his feet – yawning, and stretching. He felt surprisingly stiff – considering he'd only been... Then he remembered everything: fighting the Red Death, falling, and... And talking to Thor...

"I need to talk to the others. They'll never believe what just happened."

'**After everything that's happened this past week, you're worried people won't believe what **_**you**__**say**_**?' **Toothless had a point, and Hiccup knew it.

When they made it outside, Hiccup was noticed almost immediately, and a crowd started to gather. The first person to Hiccup's side was the Stoick – Hiccup's father. "Hiccup! – Good to see you're awake and up, boy!"

"I think I'm awake..." Then Hiccup took in the scene around them, "But... Is Berk really full of dragons?"

"It is," Stoick confirmed. "A number of them followed us home. This 'dragon- training' idea of yours... Well... it's really taking off."

An instant later, there was a sudden pain in his right arm – and Astrid was standing next to him, "That's for scaring me." Before Hiccup could respond, the kissed him – in front of everyone, and on the lips.

Hiccup was stunned, for a moment, and then he managed to say, "I could get used to it."

Then Toothless joined the discussion, **'From what you said inside, Hiccup, something... significant happened while you were unconscious. Something you needed to tell them about.'**

That piqued everyone's interest, and a moment later, everyone was silent.

"I had a... a vision," Hiccup said – feeling a little awkward. "I was... talking with Thor. Well... listening, actually – he did more of the talking. He'd said I'd passed some kind of test – that my fate was tied to the dragons." He told them everything he could remember, and finished with, "There was more... but I can't remember the rest of it. Thor said he'd send some kind of sign..."

Mildew pushed his way forward, to the front of the crowd. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Live with dragons? Cooperate with those animals? NEVER! You want a sign, boy, here's a sign!" With that, Mildew yanked a small hatchet out from his belt, and hurled it at Toothless.

Before the spinning hatchet had covered half the distance to Toothless, a bolt of lightning crackled from a clear blue sky, and hit the spinning weapon – wood and steel dissolved in an instant. Then it was gone... leaving a sprinkle of ashes in the air, and a black patch of earth.

There was a moment of silence, then Gobber spoke, "Well, that's good enough for me."

'**This is not a complete surprise to me,'** Toothless admitted. **'We dragons to not 'worship' gods as you do – but we do acknowledge their existence, in our own way. My kind has known for some time that such an event might occur. – I do not know exactly what lies ahead... but the world is beginning to change.'**

They could all feel it – The world was changing, and a new age was about to begin...

_**To be continued...**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Complications & A Solution **

Some may believe that the dawning of a new age means an end to all the problems that existed in life, in the days preceding it. When the biggest change is dragons attempting to become part of a society, you know there are going to be... well, 'complications'.

At first, everything was going smoothly. There was the occasional minor mishap – but the kind of things you'd shrug off, and go back to what you were doing before. At least... the first few times it happened – then 'a few' tempers would start to wear a little thin.

During that week, the a group of five young Vikings – Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff – had gotten to be closer to their respective dragons then they'd previously thought they'd get to any dragon. At least... without swinging any weapons or bellowing battle cries. The sixth member of their 'clique' was Hiccup – the son of Chief Stoick, and the first Viking to ever ride a dragon. His dragon was Toothless – a Night Fury, and the first dragon to 'learn'. (Eventually, the other dragons would start 'learning', as well – but so far, it was only Toothless.)

On the seventh day, the First Riders got together, ready for their first 'Best Trick Competition.'

"We're first," Snotlout declared. "And Hookfang and I, are going to light the sky on fir-r-r-r-e-." Without any prompting, Hookfang plunged off the cliff. Even from where they stood, they could hear Snotlout shouting – not even stopping when Hookfang shot into or out of the ocean. The last scraps of his dignity were lost as Hookfang returned to the others, "I'm alive? I'M ALIVE! Uh – I mean... of course I am."

Nobody was impressed.

Then Ruff and Tuff started arguing about who was next, and continued to until Hiccup said, "Uh – guys, same dragon." The twins finally remembered this... rather important piece of information, and went. It was... _eventful_ – and completely uncoordinated. Again – nobody was impressed.

Fishlegs and Meatlug were next. They flew in a circle, returning to where they'd started from. "That was great – a new personal best!" (Full points for enthusiasm, but... that wasn't going to cut it.)

It was Astrid's turn, next. Before Stormfly took to the air, Astrid turned to Hiccup, "You might want to take notes." Astrid's run was far better than the previous rounds. As they returned to the cliff top, Snotlout said, "Oh, sure – but can you do it without the dragon?" Astrid looked ready to throw Snotlout _off_ the cliff, but Hiccup said, "The rest of us need our dragons for this stuff, Snotlout – but we know you can drown yourself and self-inflict head injuries just as well as you did just now, _with_ Hookfang."

Astrid smirked, Fishlegs snored – and woke up, and the jibe went right over the heads of Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff.

"Well," Hiccup said, "Look's like we've got our work cut out for us – hey, bud?"

'**You're being generous,'** Toothless's voice sounded in Hiccup's mind.

Hiccup grinned, "Let's go, bud."

Toothless shot forward, and down – towards the water. As they fell, they built up speed – speed that Toothless transferred into forward momentum, as they pulled up short of the water. The result was a wave of water that shot up to both sides, until Toothless pulled up from the water. Next was the free- style – they wove around and between rocks, making their way towards their finale. Ahead of them rose two columns of stone, which met at the top to form a ledge. At just the right moment, Hiccup jumped free of his saddle – running across the ledge even as Toothless flew underneath. Then Hiccup leapt over the edge, and back onto Toothless. –– It was a trick that only the speed and endurance of Toothless, the Night Fury allowed them to pull off.

Even from where they hovered, they could hear the others' exclamations. "Well... it looks like we win."

'**Naturally,'** Then Toothless shot three plasma bolts into the sky ahead of them – three quick bursts of blue light lit up the sky, as the bolts reached the limit of their range. – Hiccup grinned.

_Later - Back in the village..._

When Hiccup and the others returned to Berk, it was to find that things were not going well. Dragons – none of whom had Riders or any understanding of life in Berk – were wolfing down the days catch of fish, and... Pretty much doing everything they shouldn't be. Fortunately, nothing had been set on fire... at least – not yet.

Then a bell tolled three times, and a flock of dragons appeared – flying directly over Berk. "Of course..." Hiccup sighed. "It's three o'clock."

For the next five minutes, everyone in the village square was running left and right – trying to avoid the shower of dragon dung. Most of them made it through ok, but a few... left, grumbling – to get a bath and a change of clothes.

Then Hiccup had one of his famous/ infamous – depending how you looked at it – brainwaves. "I just thought of something. It's going to take time for the 'wild' dragons to 'Learn' how things work in Berk, but – in the meantime, the dragons are going to do what they're going to do. It's their nature... but what if we found ways to use it?"

Even Toothless looked perplexed. 'Speaking' so they could all hear, the Night Fury said, **"What – exactly – do you have in mind?"**

"Well..." Hiccup turned to Astrid, "That trick you used? – having Stormfly clip the water with her tail? If a half- dozen Deadly Nadders did the same thing across a farmer's field – they'd get it plowed in less than an hour! – Right now it takes _days_. Move this," Hiccup pointed to a pile of the dragon dung, "over the fields, and its fertilizer. Snotlout – Hookfang took you underwater during your turn, he could scare fish to the surface – that could _at least_ double what the fishermen bring in every day, not to mention it wouldn't take as long!"

Toothless seemed to like the idea, **"This could work... This could work **_**very**_** nicely."** Even Hiccup's friends were looking impressed, now.

"And there's another advantage: if they're helping us – gathering food, and so on – they won't be causing trouble. They'll have time to learn without destroying Berk, or... anything else. " Hiccup couldn't believe it had taken him this long to come up with this idea. "We need to talk to my dad – there's a lot of work to do, for this to work."

Once they'd left, Mildew appeared from behind the barn – where he'd been eavesdropping. "Blast! If they get the dragons organized, I'll never be rid of them! I've got to think of _something_ to get rid of those _animals_..." Muttering darkly, he trudged off.

_Soon..._

Hiccup and the others had just finished explaining his idea for the dragons, to Chief Stoick.

"An interesting idea," Stoick commented. "It's defiantly worth a try."

"I was thinking we'd do Mildew's field, first." Hiccup said, "I mean... can you imagine the look on Mildew's face when he sees dragons plowing his fields?" That set off a round of chuckles.

"Very well," Stoick agreed. "Mildew's it is. – It'll be worth listening to him gripe to see the look on his face!"

_The following morning – Mildew's Fields..._

Mildew's dislike of dragons is obvious, and well known. He'd rant about them in the evenings, and pick up where he left off – the following morning. Having overheard Hiccup's plan to have the dragons assist the Vikings with their daily labour – cementing their place as a part of life on Berk – he had that much more to grumble about, and was that much later getting to sleep.

By the time he awoke, it was early afternoon. With a full day's work ahead, and having had to postpone his morning rant, Mildew was in a sour mood – even for him. He'd barely started when a sound caught his attention. He turned, and then leapt back. A dragon shot past, and he heard a voice say, "Afternoon, Mildew."

"Wha?" was all Mildew could manage – he hadn't even seen Astrid, sitting on her Nadder's back. Then another dragon shot past – but _that one_ he recognized.

"Three o'clock – Time for the fertilizer." It was Hiccup, sitting on Toothless's back.

Mildew had just finished coughing from the dust cloud Toothless's passing had stirred up, so all he could manage was, "Huh?" Turning, he saw a flock of dragons – heading in his direction. '_Of course – it's the dragons. It's __always__ the dragons.'_

That was when the 'fertilizer' started to fall. Good news: most of it landed on the field. Bad news: the one chunk that didn't... found Mildew's head. {_Splat__}_

Trying not to laugh, Hiccup called down, "Smile, Mildew – we just saved you three months of work!" Then, in a quieter voice, Hiccup said, "One piece... We can mark that down as an accident, right?"

Toothless had been watching the dragons. **"An accident... Yeah – Let's go with that."**

Hiccup followed Toothless's gaze, and saw that one of the dragons – a rider- less Nightmare – was looking back, and appeared to besmirking. "Oh boy... We're going to hear about this later."

'**I hope I'm there to see it – it should be fun to watch."** Toothless didn't seem to care.** "Last time his face turned almost as red as the shield on the wall next to him."**

Hiccup rolled his eyes, and – motioning to Astrid and Stormfly, started to fly in the direction of the village.

_A few hours later..._

Several hours later, Mildew stormed into the Great Hall – where a number of other Vikings were gathered. The man's face was red – though not quite as red as the shield Toothless had mentioned. The dragon 'fertilizer' was still where it had fallen, though some had slid onto each shoulder.

The mood in the hall was festive – the successful introduction of Hiccup's plans the main topic of discussion. The six Viking teens were seated at a table near the head of the hall, while nearby their dragons wolfed down a share of the massive catch of fish Hookfang had scared into the fishermen's nets. (Everyone had also heard about what had happened to Mildew – though they all agreed that he'd had it coming.)

After nearly a half- hour of "blasted dragons... nearly crushed... dragon **** all over me..." Stoick said, "Mildew – We know you don't like the dragons, but they're part of Berk, now. As far as I'm concerned it was an accident. Unless you get buried in dragon **** in the future, I don't want to hear another word about it."

Hearing that, Mildew's face finally did achieve the shade of red that Toothless had hoped to see. Then he turned, and stormed out of the hall – to roars of laughter.

"I'll get those dragons, yet." Mildew muttered, as the doors closed behind him – though no one heard.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Treasure of Hamish the Second**

**Part One: A Map & Two Riddles**

Hiccup, Astrid, Ruff, Tuff, Snotlout, and Fishlegs stood in the Great Hall – Along the wall in front of them, hung a row of paintings – each depicting a previous chief of Berk, and his son. Hiccup and his father had just stood for theirs the previous day – and it would join the others on the wall any minute now. Hiccup was both excited and nervous – this was a BIG deal, and he was... well, he wasn't like the sons in the other paintings.

The significance of this was lost on Ruff, Tuff, and Snotlout – who was joking about the paintings depicting a "history of goofballs." An instant later, Snotlout tripped and fall backwards – knocking one of the paintings off the wall. As it hit the floor, a sheet of paper landed next to it.

Snotlout picked it up, only to have it snatched out of his hands by Gobber – the village blacksmith. "All of these were supposed to be destroyed." He saw their expressions, and continued, "Supposedly, this map leads to the lost treasure of Hamish the First. It starts with a given location, and a riddle. Solve the riddle, go to the next location. Men have lost their limbs, their lives, and their minds trying to find it. Stoic and I tried... we barely returned with our lives – and our friendship – intact. No... Best to pretend you never saw this."

Less than an hour later, the painting of Hiccup and his father were unveiled. Hiccup looked at it, and he could feel his face fall. The painting depicted Stoick – Hiccup's father – accurately enough, but the Hiccup in the painting was taller, and more muscular. It wasn't _him_. Both Astrid and Ruffnut appeared... 'favorably impressed', though Astrid hid her reactions once she saw the look on Hiccup's face. A second later, Hiccup – too – concealed his reaction behind a calm look.

A moment later, Hiccup turned and walked toward the opposite end of the hall – followed by his friends. He stopped in front of Gobber, and – without preamble, said, "Give me the map." The others were stunned.

Gobber tried to dissuade Hiccup, but the latter would not relent. Finally, Gobber said, "Fine – I'll humor you – _on two conditions_. One, you won't run off as soon as you have the map. Second, when you get to a riddle you can't solve – you'll return the map and forget about this treasure hunt. Give me your word."

Hiccup agreed, and Gobber produced the scroll. Hiccup unrolled it, and read aloud, "'Where the land meets the sea, in the crook of the Master's knee, that's where your search will be- gin.'" An instant later, Hiccup grinned. "The portrait this was hidden behind. The father's knee pointed to that spot on the beach. That's where we start."

Grudgingly, Gobber nodded. "That was as far as Stoick and I got. The next clue did it for us."

Hiccup returned his gaze to the map. "'From here you will see the sea that's been sown. Look to where water turns to bone."

Snotlout broke in, "'Water turns to bone'? Hamish wasn't even trying to make sense."

Hiccup shot him an irritated look. "'Water turns to bone'... 'Water turns to bone...'" Then he whistled. "Gods... Hamish the Second was a _genius_." He turned to see the others staring at him. "Wha... wait... you don't get it?"

"Hiccup," Astrid to say – then Snotlout interrupted, "What's to get? It's doesn't make any sense."

Hiccup sighed. "'Water turns to bone'. A liquid – water, turns into a solid – like bone." He waited a moment, but nobody spoke or moved. Hiccup heaved another sigh, and said, "It means 'ice'. Look to where the liquid – water, becomes a solid – ice. It's the glacier."

Turning to Gobber, Hiccup said, "Thanks for the map. We're off to the glacier."

"Oh, no you're not! You gave your word..." Gobber sputtered – Then he saw the look on Hiccup's face, and sighed. "Alright... What did I miss?"

Hiccup grinned, "I promised that we wouldn't run off – we didn't. I promised that we'd come back and return the map '_if we came to a riddle that we couldn't solve'_ – we will. Until then, I can follow the map without breaking either promise. So, Thanks." Hiccup turned and walked out of the Great Hall – his friends running to catch up.

As soon as the doors had closed behind them, Gobber dropped back to his chair, "Oh, Thor... Stoick's going to kill me..."

**Part Two: The First Key & the Third Riddle**

As Astrid and the others hurried after Hiccup, she was still struggling to understand what had just happened. '_In only a few minutes, Hiccup had solved two riddles. True, he hadn't been the only one to figure the first one out, but the second? The second one had stopped treasure hunters cold for generations. _Then _Hiccup had slipped through the loophole he'd left himself, in the promise he'd made to Gobber... Could they – Could __he__ – really find the treasure that so many others had failed to_?'

They had reached the dragons. Seeing them, Toothless got to his feet – about to ask what was going on, but Hiccup pre-empted him by saying, "Let's go – I'll explain on the way."

_Soon, at the glacier..._

As they dragons drew nearer to the glacier, they noticed a wide opening – an entrance to an ice cave, more than big enough for even the largest of their dragons to fly or walk inside.

A short ways down the passage, Astrid stopped – pointing at the ice in front of her. "There's something in there."

"I bet that guy saw it, too," commented Fishlegs – pointing to a Viking frozen, near the piece.

Hiccup had unrolled the scroll, "'Call on Magni, you'll go astray. Freya, though will show the way." Before Hiccup could speak, Snotlout said, "Got it." He knelt on the ice, and started bashing his helmeted head on the floor.

Hiccup yanked Snotlout aside an instant before a spiked pole swung directly through the place where the latter had been kneeling. "We can't break the ice. That's what Magni means – he's the god of strength. But Freya – Freya is the goddess of fire. That's what we use." Hiccup turned, and called to Toothless. When the Night Fury reached him, Hiccup said, "Light it up."

As soon as Hiccup had removed the piece of metal, the glacier shuddered. Immediately, the young Vikings jumped back onto their dragons, and – again, took to the air.

_Meanwhile, in the (almost empty) Great Hall of Berk..._

"You had the map, and you... gave it back?" Stoick would've been outraged, but it was largely overshadowed by concern for the young treasure- hunters, and disbelief that _anyone_ could be as stunned as Gobber had been. (At the same time, he couldn't help but be impressed by how Hiccup had slipped through – without actually 'breaking' – either of the promises he'd made to Gobber._)_

"I know, I'm an idiot," Gobber admitted. "I thought you and I could take another crack at finding that treasure!" Seeing the look on Stoick's face, he continued, "We turned back too early! So we lost a couple of toes. Besides... you should've seen how quickly Hiccup solved the first two riddles! The first one took us a week to solve – he barely needed to think about it! And the second one..."

"GOBBER!" Stoick cut him off. "We've got to find them before they get themselves killed. Why would Hiccup do something like this?"

Gobber sighed, "Stoick... it's the painting." Stoick looked first at Gobber, then at the painting. Then he groaned, "Of course... he's trying to prove himself. But we've got to find them. Now!"

_Not far from the glacier..._

The dragons settled on a cliff top, not far from the glacier – watching as part of it crumbled into the sea. Chunks of ice landed with a series of splashes, then bobbing back to the surface.

Hiccup was deep in thought. A part of him still couldn't believe that he was actually on this treasure hunt – so many had failed, and he was... well, a 'hiccup'. Maybe – just maybe – this journey help him to find a way to except, and live with, that fact. Everything seemed to be working so far. Hiccup didn't know how – or why, but the answers to the riddles just... seemed to come to him. It was as if...

Shaking away the thought, Hiccup unrolled the map – and found his place, eager to see what else this map had for them.

**Part Three: The Second Key & the Fourth Riddle**

"'At the edge of the world, amidst the raging sea, in the serpent's mouth – lies another key.'"

Tuffnut was the first to speak, "Serpents. I hate serpents... those are reptiles, right?" Nobody spoke for a moment – even Snotlout knew the answer to _that_ question.

Finally, Ruffnut said, "You _do_ realize you're _sitting on one_, right?" (Apparently, he didn't.)

Snotlout spoke next, "Hey, that cloud looks like a snake."

Astrid who pointed out the obvious flaw in that line of thought, "Yeah – and in five minutes it'll look like a bunny."

Then Hiccup – who'd been pondering the riddle, spoke up. "Actually – for once, Snotlout may be on to something." A nearby island had caught his eye. From where they stood, it did in fact look like a huge stone serpent – rising up from the water.

"See," Snotlout was saying, "For once I – HEY!" Before Snotlout could say more, Hiccup pointed out the island.

'**Flying in those winds wouldn't be safe for most of us.' **Toothless commented, **'I don't like it, but Meatlug would do best there – of those of us here, Gronkles have the smallest wingspan.'** Turning to Hiccup, he added, **'Be careful. Treasure is useless if you don't live long enough to spend any of it.'**

A few minutes later, Fishlegs, Meatlug and Hiccup – the latter clutching one end of a rope, were flying toward the serpent- shaped island.

_Back at the beach..._

By now, Stoick and Gobber had made it to the beach, and were staring at the chunks of ice that had fallen into the bay – as well as the smaller shards that continued to fall. Gobber bent to examine the beach. "Night Fury prints. They were here..." He paused to sniff some of the dirt. "... About an hour ago."

"I'll never understand how you do that." The whole idea seemed ridiculous to Stoick, but... Gobber had been right before. "What does an hour ago smell like, Gobber?"

"Not as strong as a half- hour ago." Gobber said – staring at the ice in the bay. "So the first key was in the glacier! I knew it!"

"Oh – you knew it did you? Then how come we spent two weeks, digging in the sand?"

"That was your idea!"

"... That's not important now. We've got to find out where they went _next_. We need to search from the air – let's get to Thornado."

_Shortly... _

It had taken a few passes – but Fishlegs, Meatlug, and Hiccup were soon making their way back to the cliff where the others were waiting. Their reward was another chunk of metal – similar to the first.

Hiccup unrolled the map to read the next clue, and noticed that something was different.

The next few lines on the map were not written in the form of a riddle. It gave clear instructions to a particular mountaintop. Not fully sure what this might mean, the five young Vikings remounted their dragons. This time, they elected to travel on foot – to give Meatlug's wings a rest.

As they walked, Hiccup thought to himself that, '_This must've been the clue that sent dad and Gobber up into the mountains – during that snowstorm Gobber mentioned. They couldn't get through the riddles, so they tried the direct approach... the Viking approach..._' There was something else behind this treasure hunt – that, he knew – but what was it?

**Part Four: The Cave & the Choice**

As they walked, a feeling of excitement grew – a feeling of impending glory. They had – in a single afternoon – exceeded every attempt made to find the treasure of Hamish the First. Failure now seemed inconceivable.

As they walked, they started asking each other what they were going to do with their share of the treasure. Astrid paid no attention to what Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, and Fishlegs said. When asked, she said only that she hadn't decided yet. Then the question was posed to Hiccup...

"I'm not sure what I'll do with my share," Hiccup had said, "but I'm not really here for the treasure."

Astrid considered that for a moment, and realized something. '_The painting... He feels like he's a disappointment. Despite everything he's done – he feels like it's not enough. All those years of years of being shunned..._' She wanted to say... something, but all she think of was, "You know... you – you don't have to do this, right?"

"Yeah, try telling that to my dad," as Hiccup spoke, Astrid saw that his expression was a look of sad acceptance – a look that only confirmed what she'd been thinking. She nodded – understanding, but none the happier for it.

"This must be the place," Hiccup said, as he unrolled the map."Well, I've got another one for you. 'The world is right, when stars align. When not in sync, the danger you'll find.'"

Immediately, Snotlout said, "Stars? I'm not waiting around here till night."

"I don't think he means actual stars. I mean, the water didn't actually turn to bone."

"Well, what do you think it means, Hiccup?" Astrid chimed in.

"Why are you asking him? Maybe I know," Snotlout – again. Astrid and Hiccup turned to stare at him. "I said 'maybe'. Turns out, I don't."

Speaking softly, so that only Astrid would hear, Hiccup said, "It's sad, but that's probably as close as he'll ever get to a clever comment." (Astrid barely suppressed her laughter.)

Fortunately, Fishlegs – who'd dismounted, and approached the wall, said, "There're shapes carved onto every one of these stones."

Glad for the distraction, Hiccup also approached the doors. "Ok, keep a lookout for anything that looks like a star."

Snotlout found the first star- marked brick – and immediately pulled it half way out of its spot in the wall. Small rocks began to fall, spurring Snotlout to shout for Hookfang – who pushed the rock back into place.

Hiccup looked back at the map. "Ok, it says 'in sync'... that means there must be another star." Even before he'd finished, Astrid was scanning the wall – and... "Found it!"

"I think we're supposed to pull them out at the same time." Hiccup turned to the others. "Ruff, Tuff..."

The twins directed their two- headed dragon up to the wall, pointed to the bricks – and mimed a pulling motion. The creature approached the wall, as eased the bricks out – in perfect sync. The wall split in two, each of the halves sliding into the wall on either side.

After a moment of hesitation, they stepped inside. But as soon as the last foot of dragon tail had slid inside, the doors resealed. Now, there was no choice but to go forward.

_Meanwhile, in the village of Berk..._

It was taking, what seemed to Stoick, to be an unreasonable amount of time to reach his home – where Thornado waited. People kept approaching him with petitions, and – even though all he was doing was arranging times to meet and discuss them, it was taking longer than he'd like.

"Hiccup will be fine," Gobber assured him. But Stoick could only think of his and Gobber's attempt to complete this quest, and what it had cost them...

_In the hidden cave..._

After the entrance had sealed, the young treasure- hunters had followed the passage. Finally, it emptied into a large circular room. It was dark, so Hiccup asked Toothless to give them some light. The resulting illumination revealed that the floor of the chamber was covered in – what Fishlegs identified as "Fireworm dragons!"

In the middle of the room was a round depression in the floor, in which a number of pedestals stood in a circle – each with a metal piece. They all resembled the first two keys, but they were made of different metals. A few blue bolts cleared the depression of fireworm- dragons, though the now angry dragons blazed to life – raising the temperature in the room with every minute.

"Grab them, and let's go!" Snotlout called to Hiccup, who had stepped into the depression.

"No – it's a choice. Listen to this, 'Something pure, something strong. Look first to yourself, and you won't go wrong." The others started shouting advice to him, though one piece had already caught his eye. One that – regardless of where else he looked, continued to draw his gaze back to it. Hiccup approached the pedestal, and picked up the piece.

At first, nothing happened, and then a rumbling shook the room – and the fireworm- dragons retreated from the depression. Hiccup and Toothless hurried to the edge, and Astrid grabbed Hiccup's hand to pull him to safety. Just then, the floor gave way – Hiccup, Toothless, and Astrid fell into the widening pit.

As she fell, Astrid shouted to Stormfly to get out, and had a fleeting glimpse of their friends escaping through a hole in the roof. In the instant before she lost sight of them, she felt a presence touch her mind, and a voice said, **'Be – care–ful, As–trid.' **It spoke haltingly – like Toothless had, at first – but this voice sounded female. Somehow, Astrid knew that it was Stormfly.

It was a hard landing, but they were unhurt. Once again, Toothless shot a plasma bolt at a cluster of stones. Then, with the help of the resulting illumination – they began to explore their surroundings.

After a minute, Astrid said, "Stormfly spoke to me... as we were falling. She said to be careful."

Hiccup looked surprised, but Toothless turned to Astrid, **'You and Stormfly spend much of your time together, and you were among the first to except my kind as friends. I expected that dragons **_**with**_** human partners would learn faster than others. It would seem I was correct.'** The smugness in Toothless's 'voice' made Hiccup and Astrid roll their eyes, and go back to exploring the chamber around them.

**Part Five: The Treasure of Hamish the Second**

The dragons and Vikings who'd made it out set down on a flat shelf of stone – just outside the whole they'd exited through. As soon as the sounds of falling rock had ceased, they began to dig through the rubble. Everyone was worried, but Fishlegs was frantic. "Oh, Thor – We've got to find them... We have got to find them..."

"Find _who_, exactly?" It was Stoick and Gobber – both of whom had just gotten off of Thornado's back. Nobody answered – they didn't need to. Stoick knew in an instant. Without another word, he and Gobber joined in the others in clearing away the rubble – and hoping it wasn't too late.

_Somewhere below them..._

Ten minutes had passed, and they'd found no sign of an exit. Desperate, Astrid was about to start a third pass of the room – when she noticed that Hiccup and Toothless were no longer with her. Looking around, she saw Hiccup crouching in the middle of the room, examining a patch of the floor.

She made her way over, just in time to hear him say, "I wonder..."

Before Astrid could ask for an explanation, Hiccup pulled out the three 'keys' they'd found. He fitted them together, and slid them into a circle cut into the floor – it was a perfect fit. Cautiously, Hiccup turned the key to the right. Immediately, a door – one neither of them had noticed, before – slid open, on the other side of the chamber.

Hiccup started to walk towards it, but neither followed. Turning back to them, Hiccup said, "We've come this far." This was true, so Astrid and Toothless joined Hiccup, and made their way down the passageway.

They reached the other end, and stood for a moment – stunned. The room in front of them was full of gold! There were dozens of gold statues – some small, others larger than either of them. Many of the smaller ones stood on wooden chests – Hiccup tried to count, but it was too much to take in.

Then they saw the pedestal. It stood just in front of them, and it held only a scroll – held in place by a round band of stone. Hiccup carefully removed it, and – seeing the writing on it, began to read it aloud. "'This treasure was passed from father to son, I leave it to you – the next worthy one. For only a 'hiccup' could've made it this far – From one to another, be proud of what you are."

Astrid, who had come forward to join Hiccup, spoke – into the silence. "'From one to another...?"

Wordlessly, Hiccup unrolled the scroll – holding it so that Astrid could see. It was a picture – like those in the Great Hall – only this was on paper, not painted on wood. The picture depicted Amish the First – just as he was on the 'official' version, but the son...

"Hamish the Second was a 'hiccup' – like me." The feeling that had been bothering Hiccup since they'd set out... it made sense. "He knew only another one of us could find this place. I guess... being a 'hiccup' isn't such a bad thing, after all. Look at all this stuff!"

Astrid was deep in her own thoughts. '_We found it... we found the treasure of Hamish the first_!' For Hiccup, she knew, it was more than a treasure. He was no longer alone – no longer the only 'hiccup' in his family tree. A 'hiccup' had hidden this treasure – and only another one could find it.

Both of them were jolted back to reality by the sound of stone shifting. The pedestal where Hiccup had gotten the scroll was sinking into the floor, and two more were rising up – on opposite sides of the first. On one was a feather; on the other was a war- hammer. Between them – behind where the first had been – was another riddle, carved into the floor.

"Wow, Hamish Two really loved pedestals... and apparently riddles. Let's see... 'In between the body and mind, a choice must be made of what you'll find. At this moment, you must look to yourself – for only one path will bring you true wealth."

"I've had it with these riddles!" Astrid fumed, "Let's just find a weak part of wall, and use the hammer to break through." As she spoke, she started to move towards the hammer.

"No!" Hiccup grabbed her arm, stopping her. "This is Hamish's safeguard. He wanted a 'hiccup' – and _only_ a 'hiccup' – to claim his treasure. Any _other_ Viking would go for the hammer, but I wouldn't be able to use it. It's a trap." Moving to the other pedestal, he picked up the feather – then lead Astrid and Toothless into the middle of the room, to a space in the middle of the statues and chests.

A moment later, columns began to crack – and stones began to fall from the ceiling. But nothing landed anywhere near where they stood. Then the floor under their feet began to rise towards the ceiling, which began to slide open – allowing a shaft of sunlight to fall on the gold that had lain in that dark room for generations.

_Meanwhile, at the surface..._

They were tiring – and they were making little visible headway. For every stone they moved, there seemed to be another ten more that needed to be cleared. None of them knew exactly how much time had passed, but all of them were aware of the seconds slipping by.

Then a tremor moved through the earth beneath them. Turning, they saw stones lifting – forming a round opening in the shelf behind them. A moment later, Hiccup and Astrid standing on a stone floor that was slowly lifting them back to the surface – and they were surrounded by treasure!

"Oh – hi, dad," Hiccup said – as though it was perfectly normal for a father to see his son rising from the bowels of the earth on a stone elevator, surrounded by a small mountain of gold, and holding an ancient looking scroll. "You'll never guess what we found." Stoick was stunned – as though Hiccup had just announced that he intended to take up tap-dancing. A moment later, however, he and those with him were rushing towards where Astrid, Hiccup, and Toothless stood – in the middle of the once- lost treasure.

It took some explaining, but – at long last, Hiccup read the message on the outside of his scroll, and showed them the picture. After hearing that Hamish had – in effect, _left the treasure to Hiccup_, they decided that he should get the larger portion. That being said – it took each of the others several trips to lug their more 'modest' shares back home. Then the lot of them had to make several trips to get Hiccup's share to the Great Hall – where it would be kept in a locked storeroom. (The room was empty, secure, and it was the only available place that was big enough to hold all of it.)

Hiccup was still awed by the very sight of it all. But for him, the greatest treasure was the scroll he'd found buried with it – and the new, more accurate portrait – that now hung in the Great Hall of Berk.


	10. Chapter 10

**Loki's Day: Part One (**_**Several weeks later...**_**)**

'_Loki is the God of Tricksters, so – as you might expect, his holiday is all about people pulling pranks on each other. Aside from the immediate laugh, pranksters hope to accomplish something that will be remembered – pulling the biggest prank of that year. For some this would mean planning in advance and careful preparation beforehand – after the initial stroke of inspiration... _

_For others, it may take nothing more than a clever mind, quick- thinking, and staying alert for any opportunities that may present themselves...'_

...

As always, the week leading up to Loki's Day saw more and more people sneaking off to discuss prank- plans with their collaborators. As well as a rise in the number of people listening at doors or from around corners – hoping to catch a detail that would allow then to prank would- be pranksters.

If a prank went as planned, those responsible might wish their 'victim' a "Happy Loki's Day," or some other phrase – claiming credit for the successful prank. If the intended victim had caught wind of pranksters' plan, and was able to turn it back on them – they would say "Loki Laughs." –– It was the accepted way to make- fun of the failed pranksters.

_Flashback... The previous year, Ruff and Tuff had won the quiet prank competition – to the surprise of the rest of the villagers. They'd snuck up to the farm belonging to Mulch and Bucket – in the middle of the night, and dressed the chickens up in wool- 'coats' and the sheep in feather- 'coats'. – Using feathers and wool they'd been gathering during the previous two weeks. –– They'd left the eggs with the chickens, though._

_The following morning, Bucket came out to collect the wool from the sheep, and the eggs from the chickens. The longer he was out there, the more confused he got. – Finally, Mulch came out and tried to sort him out. _

_It wasn't so much the _prank _that made the situation memorable, however. It was the fact that Mulch would have to keep reminding bucket which animal was to supply which product. (As we see in "Animal House," Mulch... hasn't had much luck – even a year later.)_

...

_Present – One week before Loki's Day..._

This year, the game was going to be taken to a whole new level: This year, Hiccup was joining the lists. On hearing this, most of the inhabitants of Berk approached Hiccup offering an "I won't prank you if you don't prank me"- truce. Hiccup – being a good- sport, accepted all of these offers.

After he, Astrid, and Fishlegs had made their agreements (– both of them wanted to be safe), they asked Hiccup why he was accepting everyone's offers. As Astrid said, "There won't be anyone left for _you_ to pull a prank on."

Hiccup grinned, "I've already chosen my target: Someone who can't swallow his pride long enough to see me as a threat, and make the deal."

Neither Astrid or Fishlegs had to ask who it was – Only one person fit the description: Snotlout.

_Loki's Day – Early morning..._

Snotlout started his day the same way he started every day: Jogging through a stretch of forest with a fully- grown sheep on his back. (He always said he did to "keep his strength up" – but nobody was fooled: He was showing off.)

He was just finishing when he saw Hiccup and Toothless – walking in the direction of Berk, having finished their morning flight. The workout had left him out of breath – and 'a little' tired, but there was no way he was going to let _Hiccup_ see that. He nodded – curtly, to Hiccup and Toothless, and reached for a handful of berries from a near- by bush...

"I really wouldn't eat those berries – if I were you, Snotlout," Hiccup cautioned.

Snotlout snorted, "Yeah? Well – You're not me. I'm eating these berries because I need to keep my strength up. – Something you know nothing about." With that, Snotlout gathered another handful of berries, and started to walk back towards the village.

Hiccup and Toothless followed – a short ways behind. If he'd looked back, Snotlout had bothered to look back, he would have seen Hiccup grinning. – 'Phase One' of his plan was now complete. The berries weren't 'dangerous' – but they would make Snotlout's face swell- up. By the time they reached the Great Hall for breakfast, the berries should have had their effect, and Phase Two could commence...

_Soon after, in the Great Hall..._

The reaction to Snotlout's puffed- up tongue and face – when the three of them arrived in the hall, couldn't have been more perfect.

Astrid and a few others laughed – they'd all been warned many times not to eat _those berries_. Snotlout's parents hurried over, and started berating him. Not far away, Hiccup had found a bowl and had Toothless spit into it – several times, until the bowl was a little more than half- full...

Then Hiccup picked up the bowl, and approached Snotlout, "I _told you_ that you shouldn't eat those berries... Here, stick your tongue in this."

Snotlout took the bowl, and held it up – letting his swollen tongue soak in the liquid, "Yuck – It tastes like yak- pies." Hiccup shrugged, and Snotlout sighed. Then – a few minutes later, "How long do I have to keep it in here? – I think I saw Toothless spit in this..."

Just holding back his laughter, Hiccup said, "Well... He did – but Night Fury saliva has '_incredible'_ healing properties." Turning his back on Snotlout, he took a seat and started to eat.

Ten minutes later, he turned back to Snotlout, "Hey – Snotlout!" Snotlout turned, and Hiccup said, "Happy Loki's Day!"

"Whath do you..." Snotlout started to say, when Hiccup lifted his mug in a silent toast...

Snotlout dropped the bowl – his tongue only slightly less swollen – and wretched. Around him, the Vikings in the Great Hall roared with laughter.

_Within the hour..._

Snotlout was very... 'Quick to recover' from the after-effects of Hiccup's prank. In fact, within the hour he was sitting at the same table as Hiccup – talking as though nothing had happened...

"I've got to admit – you got me good there," Snotlout commented. "Hey, to show there're no hard feelings, how about the six of us meet- up at that old watch- tower this evening – the one with the catapult. – The fish is on me."

The others turned to look at Hiccup – curious to see how he'd react: It was obviously a trick. Hiccup looked completely relaxed, and said, "Sure... sounds good – Right, guys?"

The rest of them were momentarily stunned, but – one by one, they agreed to attend.

**Loki's Day: Part Two**

Hiccup had – of course, seen through Snotlout's "no hard- feelings" ploy.

After Hiccup's prank on Snotlout had been successfully carried out, the people of Berk assumed that he was finished for this year... This was not the case: In fact, Hiccup's plans for Loki's Day were more elaborate than the other villagers would have thought possible – even from him...

Just about _everything_ he'd done in the week was leading up to Loki's Day: Publically announcing that he'd be taking part in the pranks this year... Accepting every 'prank- truce' that was offered to him... Even timing of his telling Astrid and Fishlegs that he planned to target Snotlout, a week earlier – which 'happened' to be mere minutes after _seeing_ Snotlout sneaking around... It was _all_ part of his master- plan...

After the... 'Groundwork' was in place; Hiccup had made a subtle point of finding out "if" and where Snotlout was sneaking off to – mainly following him from high above, on Toothless.

Hiccup knew _exactly_ why Snotlout had picked 'that old watchtower' – and he'd even paid the tower a 'little visit' the previous night. (Traveling in secret was particularly easy – with the aid of a black Night Fury, and he knew that nobody had seen them.)

_That evening..._

Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, and their dragons met at the top of the watchtower – the same place where Hiccup and Astrid had told the story of their dragons protecting them – during the avalanche... just before they'd had to help their animals adapt to the dragons' arrival on Berk... (As seen in "Animal House.")

Hiccup was given the 'place of honor'– directly under the catapult, with one side of the fire to himself. The others shared the other side (- though Astrid still sat as far from Snotlout as she could).

They talked amongst themselves, as the fish that Snotlout had brought cooked. When it was done, they ate. After they'd finished, Snotlout decided to spring his trap...

Snotlout was sitting where Astrid had been, the last time the six of them had visited the tower – that is to say, next to the base of the catapult. He shot a triumphant grin across the fire at Hiccup, and said, "Since you're so close to all the dragons, I thought give you a 'little something' I got from a few of them. – Look out, below!"

With that, Snotlout rammed his shoulder into the base of the catapult – as Astrid had before, when she'd left him buried in a snow drift...

Nothing happened...

"Oh – Come on!" Snotlout got up and hurried over. Hiccup stood, and moved to the other side of the fire.

"Maybe something got stuck," Hiccup suggested – innocently, from the 'safe' side of the fire. Turning to Astrid, he added, "Could you try it again? – See if it'll work."

Astrid saw the small smile on Hiccup's face, and felt herself start to grin as well. She got to her feet, and rammed the base of the catapult a second time...

Snotlout's blow had knocked- off the cover Hiccup had fastened to the mouth of the catapult – so there was no longer anything keeping its 'contents' contained...

Seconds later, close to a bucketful of dragon- 'fertilizer' came raining down on top of a very surprised Snotlout.

Hiccup grinned across at Snotlout, "I almost hate to say it, but... 'Loki Laughs' – Snotlout."

There was – of course, no question who'd won that years' prank competition. In fact – once the story had spread to the rest of Berk, it seemed _highly unlikely_ that this story would _ever_ be forgotten.

**Loki's Day: Part Three**

It was the following morning when 'it' happened.

The inhabitants of Berk were gathered in the Great Hall – eating breakfast. A normal start to a normal day...

Than – out of nowhere, there was a flash of light... and a man was standing in the middle of the hall. He wore green armour, and seemed to radiate power...

A number of the Vikings in the hall surged to their feet, but Hiccup was faster... "Stop! – Believe me: You do not want to fight him."

All eyes in the hall turned to face Hiccup, but Astrid was the first to speak, "Why not? – Do you know him?"

"No," Hiccup admitted. "But I have felt energy like this once before... and it was during my vision with Thor – after the battle of the Red Death."

The man – who was looking directly at Hiccup, snorted, **"Yes... I suppose you would have. My brother always does seem to leave that impression... Subtlety never did come naturally to him."**

As soon as he heard the word 'brother', Hiccup knew... "You... You're Loki."

The second the words were out of his mouth, Hiccup could feel the level of tension in the room rise.

Apparently Loki noticed it too, because he smirked and said, **"Oh, don't be so dramatic. This is more of a 'social call.'" **For a moment, Loki looked around the hall – at the assembled Vikings. **"I realize it's not my... 'traditional' role, but you might say I'm here to help..."**

Loki returned his attention to Hiccup, **"... And I wanted to congratulate you on your work, yesterday. –Both on your own prank, and on foiling that... other one. I know whenever someone calls 'Loki Laughs' – most of which scarcely deserve a chuckle – but **_**that**_** was impressive."**

For the next few minutes, there was silence in the hall – while Loki considered Hiccup. Finally, Loki's expression soured, **"I hate admitting that my **_**brother**_** might be right about anything, but... it seems he's right about you..."**

"Uh... I don't remember much of what Thor said so..." Hiccup's voice drifted off.

"**No... You wouldn't – and I have been ordered not to speak of it. It's ironic... Any other time, I wouldn't have bothered spreading the tale, but now that there's a worthy candidate..."**

There was a sudden **"{CRACK!}" **of thunder – echoing through the fall, though there was no flash of lightening...

Loki growled, "**Alright – ALRIGHT!"** A moment later, the noise faded. **"Every time I appear in front of mortals there's at least one of them breathing down my neck..."** After a moment, Loki relaxed – and continued...

"**As you can see, it's... a 'touchy' subject. You'll have to find out on your own."** Loki paused for a moment – as though expecting someone to argue. Nobody did. **"In any case, I'd best be on my way. Again – Good work with those pranks, Hiccup."** Then, to the hall at large, he said, **"Carry on."**

There was another flash – and the god was gone...

Gradually, the sounds of conversation filled the hall again – but the 'normal day'... definitely wasn't a normal day anymore...

_**To be continued...**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Heather & the Outcasts {_Several weeks later..._}**

**Part One: Prologue**

_ It had been a... difficult week – for everyone on Berk: For reasons unknown, it appeared that the dragons had fallen back on 'old habbits'... _

_... The Great Hall, the Villagers' boots, and – last of all: The destruction of the armory. There was something... 'Unusual' about every one of these 'occurrences', but the last one had been the final straw..._

_Stoick gave order that all of the dragons be sent away from Berk – Sent to Dragon Island. Once the order had been given, there was nothing else that could be said..._

_Several days later – On Dragon Island..._

It was a reasonably large island – there was plenty of food and plenty of other dragons, but it was not where Toothless wanted to be. None of the 'Berk Dragons' – as they had come to call themselves – _wanted_ to be there. They had been framed for acts they had not committed, and exiled here.

They had been there for the better part of two days, now. Yet all Toothless had done during that time was stare at the ocean, and walk back to his cave to examine his saddle – the most recent version that Hiccup had made for the both of them. That, and remember...

_ The other_ _young Vikings had already said goodbye to their dragons, and were waiting on the ship that would bring them home_. _"It won't be for long," Hiccup had promised. "I'll be back for you, I promise." Then, turning to the rest of the dragons, Hiccup said, "You are all a part of Berk. We'll find out who did those things, and get you back." Then Hiccup had lifted two fingers to his mouth, and uttered a shrill whistle – one a dragon would be able to hear from a mile away. "If you hear that," he continued, "It means we've come back for you."_ _Toothless believed Hiccup – trusted him, and he was patient, but he wished he was on Berk..._

_Meanwhile, back on Berk..._

Hiccup was both appalled, and outraged. After all the dragons had done – and helped them do – they'd just been sent away. And for something they hadn't even done!

After returning to Berk, he'd confronted his father, with his suspicions of Mildew – one of the few remaining dragon- haters on Berk. His father had said that he'd need evidence to "convict someone of high treason." So Hiccup had gathered his friends, and gone to the beach – searching for the fake dragon- feet, and other props that he'd seen Mildew throw away.

So far, they'd found nothing. Then Snotlout called, "Hey, I found something – and someone!"

Next to where he stood, there was a boat that had washed up on shore. When the rest of them had gathered around Snotlout, and looked under the boat, they saw a dark haired girl – who looked to be about their age. She was curled up as far away from them as she could get, and appeared to be terrified.

"It's ok, said Hiccup, "We're friends." Reluctantly, the girl made her way out from under the boat. – As soon as she'd emerged, everyone started throwing questions at the girl. Hiccup gestured for them to be quiet, and then asked, "Can you tell us your name, and what happened?"

"My name is Heather," the girl replied. "My parents and I were out fishing when... when..." She paused – seeming to struggle with some choice – then she continued, "We were attacked by Alvin – Alvin the Treacherous. He still has my parents, but he sent me here. He wants me to find someone he called 'the Dragon Conqueror.' I don't know why, but he'll be here in a few days, and –" Heather fell silent, appearing to notice the change in everyone's expressions – which were all some combination of surprise and concern, and everyone was looking at Hiccup.

"Alvin's looking for the 'Dragon Conqueror'..." Astrid repeated, looking uneasy.

"This is bad." Hiccup agreed, "Especially with the dragons gone."

"Uh... Am I missing something?" Heather asked. "How is it 'bad' if the dragons are gone?"

Hiccup spoke first, "We've made our peace with the dragons – and they've become part of our daily lives. Recently, however, they've been exiled – framed for things I _know_ they didn't do."

"How do you 'know' they were framed?" Heather asked. – She seemed to have gotten over her fear, and was genuinely curious.

It was Astrid who answered. "Hiccup, here, was the first to befriend a dragon – a Night Fury. He kept it to himself, at first – but eventually the rest of the village learned about it. It's a long story. But, now the dragons are gone," the sadness in her voice was clear, "...and the armoury is destroyed – by 'whoever' framed the dragons."

"But... You're the Dragon Conqueror?" Heather directed the question to Hiccup, and she didn't seem convinced.

"More like... a dragon trainer." Hiccup corrected her. Turning to the others, he said, "We need to take her to my dad. He needs to know about this."

**Part Two: Alvin and the Dragon Conqueror**

_In the Great Hall of Berk..._

The news of an impending attack by Alvin the Treacherous – who'd been Berks' most feared enemy for years – had spread through Berk faster than one would have believed possible.

In what seemed like no time, the villagers were gathering in the Great Hall – bringing everything they could carry with them. (Alvin wasn't 'expected' until the following day, at the earliest – but no one was willing to take chances.) The atmosphere – which would have been tense, in any case, was made worse by the knowledge of just how vulnerable they were: The armoury was destroyed, and most of their weapons with it. And the dragons had been sent away...

It wasn't long the rumor began to spread: '_The Gods were angry with them because they'd sent the dragons away: The timing of this attack couldn't be mere coincidence!_' One man even said, "We should've known! – Thor, Odin... Even Loki's shown interest in Hiccup's work with the dragons!" –– And he wasn't the only person thinking along these lines...

It only got worse when another Viking – Sven – brought word that several Outcast boats had been seen in the harbour, and a group of men were gathering on the beach. "I counted thirty men at least – all armed to the teeth. And us with no weapons..."

Then Mildew interjected, "No weapons! And outcasts on our shores – All because of your boy and his dragons." As he spoke, he gestured first at Stoick, than at Hiccup.

"I don't have time for this, Mildew." Turning to the others, Stoick began to give instructions to Mulch and Bucket. "Gather up the others, and get them to Thor's Beach. They should be safe in the caves. The rest of us will face them in the woods – no one knows the island like us."

Once most of the others had left, Hiccup turned to his father. "Let me go get the dragons! At least with them we can defend ourselves!"

Reluctantly, Stoick agreed. "Go, but be careful."

As Hiccup was leaving, Heather stopped him. "What am I supposed to say when Alvin asks about the Dragon Conqueror? – He has my parents."

"If they ask, tell them the truth. I've got a plan." With that, Hiccup hurried out the door.

_Soon, near Thor's Beach..._

The plan to seek sanctuary in the caves had – in a word – 'failed.'

Alvin's men had caught them as they were making their way down, and now they were clustered on the beach. Before them, on a shelf of rock, stood Alvin himself – trying to get information out of his prisoners. "Tell me who your Dragon Conqueror is, and you can all go free."

Astrid had hurled a small hatchet – which she'd grabbed as they'd left the Great Hall – at Alvin, who'd caught it – and spotted her. Astrid had been pushed to the front of the group, but she refused to talk – even when Alvin yanked painfully on her hair.

Then Hiccup stepped from behind a rock, "Stop – I'm the 'Dragon Conqueror'."

Alvin scoffed, then – spotting Heather – directed the same question to her. She hesitated, glanced at Hiccup – who nodded, slightly. "It's him – he's telling the truth."

"You'd better not be lying..." Alvin began, before Hiccup interjected. "Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there? Take me to Dragon Island."

Turning to his men, Alvin said, "You, you, you, and you – we're taking this boy and Heather – to Dragon Island, on my boat. The rest of you, guard these prisoners." Turning to Heather, he said, "The boat with your parents will be coming with us. If this is a trick, they'll pay the price."

Alvin and the men he'd chosen shoved Hiccup and Heather onto the boat that had made landfall. Then rowers guided them towards where the other two waited. There was a pause – as Alvin shouted orders. Than two of the boats hoisted their sails, and started into the distance. The third remained as it was.

Among the villagers, Astrid saw worried expressions on every face – and knew she must look the same. She _was_ worried, but she'd seen Hiccup nod to Heather – before she'd 'betrayed' them. '_Whatever you're planning, Hiccup_,' she thought, '_I hope it works_.'

_About a half-hour later, still at Thor's beach_...

Alvin had only left a half- dozen guards behind, but the captive villagers knew better than to try to fight their way free. Their guards were alert, and one failed attempt could be... costly.

Then, Stoick, Gobber, and a few others appeared – seemingly out of nowhere, and took the remaining Outcasts by surprise. Astrid went directly to Stoick, "Alvin took Hiccup! – He gave himself up! They're on their way to Dragon Island!"

"I should've known!" Stoick's reaction surprised them, and he noticed. "Hiccup asked me to let him bring the dragons back to Berk – To help us protect ourselves. I allowed it, but I never thought to ask how he planned to get there! We need to go after them."

_Meanwhile, on Alvin's boat..._

As nervous as she was, Heather had to hold back a smile at the scene before her. Alvin was trying to intimidate Hiccup, and it... wasn't working.

"I'm sure your father's told you plenty about your island's most feared enemy." As he spoke, Alvin puffed out his chest, proudly – clearly expecting a reaction.

"What – who's that? Oh – right, you. No, not so much," Hiccup spoke calmly – appearing completely unconcerned.

"Really?" Alvin seemed to deflate. "Not a word?"

"Nope."

"Nothing?"

"Sorry."

Alvin looked pretty angry, but Hiccup remained calm, "Look, Al – what matters to me is that, if I do what I say, you'll live Berk and its people, in peace." Alvin gave 'his word', and – though Hiccup looked unconvinced, he let it go.

Heather turned to look at the ocean ahead of them. In the distance, she could see their destination – Dragon Island. '_Whatever you're planning, Hiccup_,' Heather thought, '_I hope it works_.'

**Part Three: The Dragon _Trainer_**

_On the shore of Dragon Island..._

Alvin's two ships pulled were pulled up on beach, and the passengers disembarked. Glancing over to the other ship, Hiccup saw a man and a woman being pushed ashore – surrounded by Alvin's men. He assumed they were Heather's parents, and the look on Heather's face confirmed it.

Once they were all on the beach, Alvin turned to Hiccup. Before he could say a word, there was a low growl, and a black dragon leapt out of a cave – at the base of a near-by cliff. Alvin forgot what he was going to say, and instead asked, "What is that?"

"Night Fury," said Hiccup, "'the unholy offspring of lightening and death itself.'" Seeing several of the outcasts raising crossbows, he shouted, "NO, No! That will... only make him angrier. Watch and learn."

Alvin had no problem with that, "Well, by all means – proceed." Turning back to where his men, Heather, and her parents stood, he said, "I hope you're not squeamish – you're about to see a dragon eat a boy." The look on Heather's face was a strange combination of shock, fear, and – yes, more than a little squeamish. Heather's parents wore expressions similar to their daughter's, but Alvin's men were chuckling.

An instant later, the dragon leapt onto Hiccup and – started licking his face. As Hiccup got to his feet, he glanced back towards where Alvin and the others stood – all wearing the same shocked expressions. "Oh... I guess I forgot to mention: I'm not really a Dragon Conqueror – more like a Dragon Trainer." Toothless looked up at him, and Hiccup said, "I know – Dragon Conqueror – where'd they get that idea?" Toothless seemed to shrug, rolling his eyes. (One of Alvin's men almost dropped his crossbow.)

"See," Hiccup continued. "We've made our peace with the dragons – but not everyone on Berk likes it. A few weeks ago, 'someone' started to frame the dragons for destroying the armoury, and other stuff. Eventually, they were exiled – here. When you attacked, I was able to convince my dad to allow the dragons back to Berk. The only problem was how to get here – a problem that you just solved. This," Hiccup paused to indicate Toothless, "is the first one I ever befriended." Hiccup paused again, to lift two fingers to his mouth, and utter a shrill whistle. "The others will be here shortly."

_On another boat, bound for Dragon Island..._

Tensions were high as Stoick, Gobber, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff, and the six other Vikings with them – made the final preparations to confront Alvin, and retrieve Hiccup and their dragons. Stoick gave his orders, "When we reach the island, we'll lay down cover fire with these catapults – the rest of you, get to your dragons."

"Save your cover fire for the others, sir – I've got this." Snotlout boasted, right before he tripped and triggered a catapult lever – sending a stone flying into the ocean with a splash.

"Why'd we bring him, again?" Stoick asked Gobber, in an undertone. "He rides the Monstrous Nightmare – Hookfang," was Gobber's equally quiet reply. "And it figures – he's about as subtle as the Nightmare." Then, loud enough for the others to hear, Gobber said, "I'll fire extra rounds, to cover that one."

Then Ruff and Tuff stepped forward – Tuff spoke, "We'd like to personally volunteer to kick Alvin's butt."

"This isn't about Alvin," Stoick told them. "It's about Hiccup." They seemed disappointed, but Ruff and Tuff returned to what they'd been doing – as did the rest of them.

They were nearing the island – could even see Alvin's ships in the distance, and they knew they'd need to be ready to fight by the time they arrived.

_Back on the beach of Dragon Island..._

Mere seconds after Hiccup had whistled five dragons had swooped down from the cliff above them, landing on the beach beside Hiccup. Hiccup walked from one dragon to the next, calling each by name – "Stormfly", "Hookfang", and so on. He also gave them quiet directions. Then, in a louder voice, he said, "Everyone who's armed is an enemy – more of them are attacking Berk. We need to..."

The dragons had heard enough, and were in the air before Hiccup could finish. An instant later, Heather and both of her parents had been plucked of the ground, and dropped – lightly, next to Hiccup – who'd just retrieved Toothless' saddle.

Hiccup looked completely unsurprised, "Oh, good. Could you guys keep them", he gestured towards Alvin and crew, "busy while..." The dragons were already bearing down of Alvin and his men. "... I ask myself why I even bothered to ask." Turning back to Toothless, Hiccup got to work on the buckles and fastenings of Toothless's saddle and prosthetic tail.

A few minutes later, Toothless was ready and Heather had finished bringing her parents up to speed on what was going on. Seeing that he was finished, Heather and her parents took a few hesitant steps forward – their eyes never leaving Toothless, and he returned the 'favor'. (This only made Heather's parents more nervous.)

Finally, Heather said, "So – This... This is your... your dragon? ... You _weren't_ joking about the whole 'dragon training' thing." She was wide-eyed, and wore an expression mingled shock and disbelief – as though she was still trying to wrap her mind around the _concept_.

"This is Toothless – he's a Night Fury, and no – I wasn't joking about training dragons." Hiccup swung into the saddle. "It's a long story, but it'll have to wait. – Lets go, bud." With that, Toothless leapt into the sky.

Alvin spotted Hiccup and Toothless as they shot by, and slashed at them as they passed – but he missed. "Great thunder of Thor – He is the Dragon Conqueror!"

An instant later, one of Alvin's men spotted another boat approaching the island. "Alvin! –We got company!"

"Back to the boats – get off shore! Ready the catapults."

The moment they'd seen the boat, Stormfly and the other dragons surged into the air – flying towards it at top speed.

"What about them?" one man asked, gesturing towards Heather and her parents.

"Leave them – They got nowhere to go!" Alvin had already moved on to other concerns. "Crossbows – shoot that blasted dragon out of the sky!"

Immediately, crossbow bolts began to arc through the air towards Toothless – from both of Alvin's ships. One volley looked as though it was about to hit its mark, than a wave of fire burned them out of the sky. Stormfly had returned, with Astrid on her back – the two of them closely followed by the other dragons, and their riders.

By now, Alvin and his men had boarded their boats, and pushed off from shore. The catapults had been loaded, and were now hurling rocks at the airborne dragons – preventing them from getting close enough to damage.

Then the catapults on the approaching boat went to work – hurling their boulders at the catapults on the outcasts' ships – crushing them. Once that was done, the 'battle' was as good as over. At the direction of their riders, two of the dragons swung back to the island and plucked up Heather and her parents – again, and brought them back to 'their' boat. Meanwhile, the other dragons torched the two outcasts' boats.

Then they set a course for Berk – for Home.

**_To be continued..._**


	12. Chapter 12

**The Isle of Night – Chapter One** {_Almost a month after Alvin's last attempt to attack Berk..._}

**Part One: An Island of Night- Furies**

Hiccup and Toothless had left Berk – alone, except for each other. They'd found the map, and had originally planned to make the journey with their friends – the following morning. Then Hiccup had found a note in Bork's records – about how Night Furies didn't get along with other dragons. – If the others came with them, things could get bad. So, the two of them left before anyone else woke- up. They knew that if they didn't, the others would insist on coming – regardless of the risk.

It was the darkest part of the night, when they left, but that didn't bother either of them. Toothless was practically made to fly at night, and Hiccup knew he could rely on the dragon's senses.

After almost three hours of flying – at top Night- Fury speed, they saw the island appear on the horizon. Elated, they shot across the remaining distance – although it would still take close to another hour for them to get there.

When they'd finally reached the island, Toothless appeared uneasy. Noticing this, Hiccup said, "Relax, bud – If this map is right, you're going to like what we find."

**'Something feels wrong... Where are they? – They should have heard us coming...'**

They searched on foot for a time, than Hiccup attempted a Night- Fury call. – A moment later, they heard a response, though they still saw nothing. Toothless had set off to investigate... Then they were ambushed by the Outcasts.

They struggled – but once Toothless had been chained down, they knew they'd been beaten. They were loaded onto an Outcast ship – where they saw Mildew waiting. Hiccup understood – then, that they'd been betrayed.

While Toothless was being secured to the deck, Alvin and Mildew started gloating over Hiccup. When he'd finally had enough, Hiccup said, "I don't understand... How did you do this?"

Alvin smirked, "The map of this island came from Bork's archives. Mildew – here, folded it up and hid it in the back of that book for you to 'discover'. You see," Alvin paused – gesturing at the island behind him. "This island was the home of the Night Furies – though there's been no sign of them for years, now. –– Bork never got close enough to study them, but he chose to focus on his 'success' in finding the island. He even painted the map on the roof of his cave, so it'd be the first thing he saw waking- up. Mildew also added the 'warning' about Night- Furies not getting on well with other dragons – So you'd come without your friends. A lesson for you, Hiccup: 'Sometimes the most dangerous deception is an outdated truth!"

When Alvin saw that everything had been loaded onto the ship, he turned to his men. "Right, then – We're going home. Set sail, for Outcast Island!"

_A few hours later..._

The Outcast ship was nearing the horizon – soon, it would be out of sight.

About halfway up a cliff – overlooking the abduction site, five shadows detached themselves from the mountain. Five pairs of black wings opened, and a chorus of shrieks filled the air – as the five creatures took flight. They flew to the other side of the mountain, and into a wide opening – high off the ground, and hidden in the shadow of another ledge. Nobody could have found it – unless they'd known _exactly_ where to look.

The 'opening' was the entrance to a vast cavern. Immediately, two of the creatures shot to the left, and two to the right – to spread the news to the rest of their colony. The fifth Night Fury continued to fly straight – towards the far side of the cavern. Towards the two Night Furies who – even now, mourned the loss of their son...

They could not talk – save in the language of dragons, but the new arrival explained what he and those with him had seen. He finished be saying, **There can be no doubt that it is him. Have no fear – No harm will come to your son, or his rider. Long have we waited for this opportunity, and we need wait no longer.** Already, the colony was stirring to life, and the cavern echoing with the roars and wing beats of an untold number of dragons – even though most of them would remain here.

Within the hour, twenty- two Night Furies shot through the opening, and rose into the air – to journey into a world that had all but forgotten them...

**Part Two: The Rise of the Outcast Riders**

_Earlier that morning, at the Berk Dragon Academy_**...**

Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, and their dragons were waiting for Hiccup and Toothless to arrive – so they could start their highly anticipated trip to the Isle of Night. At first, they were merely surprised not to find him already there – and waiting for them.

A half- hour had passed – with no sign of Hiccup. Then a horrible possibility occurred to Astrid, "He wouldn't..." Without a word of explanation, she leapt back on to Stormfly – and they took off. The others hurried to their dragons, and followed.

Minutes later, Astrid burst into the main room of the house where Hiccup and Stoick lived – interrupting the latter's whittling break. Astrid apologized, than asked, "Is Hiccup here?"

"No. He was gone when I woke- up. Should I let him know you stopped by?" It was the answer Astrid had been dreading.

"No – I'll just... Leave him a note – In his room." Stoick nodded, and she hurried up.

She found Hiccup's notebook on his desk – as well as ink, pens, and sheets of parchment. There were also several books – one of which lay open. On an impulse, Astrid leaned over to read the notes – There had to be a clue here, somewhere...

_'My observations have brought me to the conclusion that the Night Furies have chosen this remote location to settle, due to their inability to coexist peacefully with other species of dragons._'

Her heart froze as she understood: 'Hiccup and Toothless went to the Isle of Night by themselves! – Hiccup read Bork's notes... and decided it wasn't safe for the rest of us to come!' She grabbed Hiccup's notebook – with its copy of the map, and the book with Bork's note – and hurried downstairs. She had to tell the others...

Five minutes later, Astrid and the others had brought Stoick up to date on what had happened.

Gobber arrived as Astrid was describing the pages that referred to the Isle of Night. Then he interjected, "Wait – Why would the pages about the Isle of Night be in the back of that book? – They should to be with Bork's other unbound- pages!"

A chill shot down Astrid's spine, "You... you know about the Isle of Night? But... Hiccup discovered the pages in the book! We went to Bork's cave – to find the map..."

"Look – something odd's going on – I was just at Mildew's place – to deliver a new wheel for his wagon. It's completely cleared out – no sign of him." Gobber scratched his head. "He shows up yesterday, as I'm bringing out Bork's records – insisting that I go fix his wheel. Then he goes and disappears..."

Stoick seemed to have also put the pieces together, and – like Astrid – he didn't like the picture they'd formed. "Grab your dragons! We're going after them!"

_Six hours later – The Isle of Night..._

It was early afternoon when the seven Vikings and their dragons landed on the Isle of Night. When they did, they immediately fanned- out to search for any sign of Hiccup and Toothless.

It wasn't long before they found signs of a struggle, and an abandoned replica of a Night Fury. Gobber examined it – than turned to the others, a few fingers covered in black powder. "Well... I've got good news, and bad news. Good news: this powder – it's ash from a charred Loki- tree... they only grow in one place."

For a moment, Astrid felt relieved, "So... you know where Hiccup and Toothless are?"

Gobber nodded, "That's the bad news. The Loki- tree only grows in the one place – and unfortunately, that one place... is Outcast Island."

"Alvin..." Stoick spat out the name like a curse. "Let's move out. Outcast Island is almost a full days' sail from here – we might overtake them."

Gobber sighed, "Hiccup and Toothless would've gotten here sometime this morning... They're probably already there." Then he saw Stoick glaring at him, and added, "So... We'd better hurry!"

_Meanwhile, on Outcast Island..._

Hiccup had just been given the V.I.P. (Very Important Prisoner), Tour of the Outcast's dragon- cells – before being led to his cell.

Now that he was alone, Hiccup's thoughts returned to Toothless – as he'd last seen him: chained to the wall of one of the dragon cells, and guarded by two Outcast warriors. As soon as Toothless saw Hiccup – the dragon had reached across to his rider's mind, and said, **'Don't worry about me. Alvin will want to use me as leverage – and for that, I must be kept alive. You make your escape, and I'll make mine.'**

The sound of voices shook Hiccup back to the present. Whoever was speaking seemed to be getting closer...

"Alvin, I gave you what you wanted – We had a deal," That could only have been Mildew.

"Well, I didn't like that deal – So I changed it." The second voice replied.

Three men came into view – Alvin, Mildew, and Savage. While Hiccup watched, Savage shoved Mildew into the cell across from Hiccup's. Then they snatched Fungus – Mildew's pet lamb – out of his arms, to 'prepare his supper.' –– Then Alvin left, leaving Mildew to blubber.

'_I'm almost disappointed,_' Hiccup thought. '_Did they honestly think they could plant Mildew in the cell across from me, without making me suspicious? Still... I think I'll play- along for now – This could be my way out.'_

It took Mildew a surprisingly short time to 'recover' from having lost his pet- lamb. After which, Mildew started to play whatever game he and Alvin had cooked- up. "You know you're never going to save your dragon by sitting around in a cell. You've got to go get him – And soon, too."

"And how do you suggest I do that?" Hiccup was in no mood for word- games – especially not with Mildew.

"By giving Alvin what he wants." Mildew's expressions added 'and use it against him.'

Hiccup was not about to trust Mildew, the beginnings of a plan were starting to take form in Hiccup's head...

_Meanwhile, in the Outcasts' Dragon Enclosures... _

Alvin and Savage were making a round of the dragon- cells – examining the 'improvements' that had been made to the cells – using off- hand comments that Hiccup had made during the tour.

When they reached Toothless's cell, Alvin took one look, and froze. "HEY! What's wrong with the Night Fury?"

One guard looked up, "I don't know! He won't eat or drink – He hasn't moved in hours!"

"Well – Keep him alive! – If he dies, we lose our leverage with the boy!" Alvin turned, and stalked off – fuming.

_High above Outcast Island..._

The strike- force of Night Furies had reached Outcast Island several hours ago – but they remained out of sight, circling. They were dangerously patient creatures – with more natural cunning that any other species of dragon. They were ready – eager – to fight... But for now, they circled – watched, and waited. – Waited for the right moment to strike...

_Below, in the Outcasts' jail..._

Hiccup had decided that now was the time to act, "Guard – Guard!"

When the Outcast guard reached his cell – Hiccup said, "I'll tell Alvin whatever he wants to know – just let me out of here."

The guard unlocked the door, and Hiccup whacked him over the head with his fake leg – which he'd detached for just that purpose. The man stumbled backward – stopping just short of Mildew's cell, growling angrily.

"Ok – That worked a little better in my mind," Hiccup admitted.

For a moment, Hiccup thought that he'd be lucky if this guy locked him up again – because the look he was getting said 'I am going to kill you – painfully.' Than Mildew hooked the end of his walking stick around the guard's neck – and yanked him back against his door. The second knock to the head did the trick, and the man crumpled.

Hiccup immediately re-attached his fake- leg, and was about to run down the hallway, when Mildew said, "Wait – Take me with you!"

"You're kidding, right? – After you set Toothless and me up?" Even as he spoke, Hiccup was reviewing his 'contingency plan' – in his head. This was the plan he'd been working on ever since Mildew had been locked up, and Hiccup had accepted that he might need the older man's help – in order to escape.

"I know the layout of this place – I can help you! I... I... I can take you to your dragon!"

Hiccup heaved a sigh – and moved to unlock Mildew's door, "Don't make me regret this, Mildew." –– The door opened, and Mildew lead the way down the hallway.

_In Toothless's holding- cell..._

The men who'd been looking after the Night Fury were getting nervous. The dragon _still_ hadn't moved, eaten, or drunk.

In desperation, they removed his muzzle – which turned out to be a mistake. The second it was off, the dragon's eyes snapped open. It struggled against its bonds for a moment, before it broke free – landing on his feet. There was a single flash of blue light – and the two Outcasts were blasted off their feet and into the opposite wall. They fell to the floor – out cold, and Toothless exited his cell – and bounded for the exit. **'I'm coming, Hiccup!'**

_Not far from the enclosure..._

Mildew and Hiccup had chanced upon a herd of wild dragons, and Mildew immediately shifted his walking stick in his hands – gripping it like a spear.

Hiccup waved him down, "Don't – The last thing you want to do is threaten them."

"Me? Threaten them?" Still, he followed Hiccup's lead – and lowered the staff. Moments later, a Deadly Nadder had walked up to Mildew to 'say hi' – and Hiccup began to give Mildew an intro- course in 'How to Train Your Dragon.'

Seeing that Mildew was actually paying attention, Hiccup decided to add a few more pointers to the '_List of Key Points I'll Conveniently Forget to Mention__' _(– a list that already included close to 98% of what Hiccup himself knew about dragons). –– 'If' Mildew really was working for Alvin, the meager facts Hiccup was giving- up would let the Outcasts... 'Ride' dragons – but as for _controlling_ them... Well, let's just say it would make Hookfang look as cooperative as Stormfly – when working with their respective riders. (And – as anyone who's met Hookfang and Snotlout could confirm – Hookfang almost- always does whatever Hookfang wants, and only helps Snotlout _if he feels like it._)

Hiccup could imagine the scene now: _Alvin – attempting to ride, say, a Monstrous Nightmare. The dragon deciding to spin nonstop as it flew and zigzagged through the air. And Alvin bellowing, "EEVVERRRYYYTTTIIINNNGGG I TTTEEELLLLLLLL I-I-T-T JJJUUUSSSTTT GGGOOOEEESS IIIINNN OOONNNEEE EEEAAARRR AAANNNDDD OOOUUUTTT TTTHHHEEE OOOTTTHHHEEERRR!"_ –– It was all Hiccup could do not to grin.

Forcing himself back to the situation at hand, Hiccup looked around for Mildew – just in time to see the Nadder's tail vanish around a corner.

Hiccup just shook his head, '_I guess it's a good thing I didn't tell Mildew anything important... or practical._'

Then a shout caught his attention and, a moment later Stormfly, Meatlug, Hookfang, Thornado and Barf & Belch were landing around him – their riders dismounting, and rushing over.

Stoick was there first, "Hiccup – Are you alright, son?"

Before Hiccup could answer, Astrid pulled him into a hug. When she let go, she said, "Hiccup – Thank Thor! What were you thinking – Going to the island of Night by yourself?" She probably would've gone on, but – with some difficulty, she reasserted her self- control.

Once the others had calmed down, Hiccup told them everything that had happened – starting with Mildew's betrayal, and finishing with how Hiccup had spent the last ten minutes feeding next- to- useless dragon- facts to Mildew – who'd snuck- off just before he arrived.

Toothless reached them in time to catch the end of Hiccup's tale, and the dragon was the first to comment. **'It would have been better if you'd been able to avoid giving ****_anything_**** away, but still... that ****_was_**** clever of you.'** The others agreed – though they did look a bit worried.

Hiccup said what they were all thinking, "While the Outcasts have no understanding of how to bond with dragons – and I highly doubt they'll be able to figure it out – we still need to get out of here. A few outcasts may be able to get dragons in the air, and we don't want to wait around to see if they will!"

At that moment, Alvin appeared over the crest of a nearby ledge – sitting on the back of a Whispering Death. Next to him, Mildew sat on his Deadly Nadder. With them, were ten other Outcasts – each of whom was sitting atop a dragon. The Outcast Riders had risen – but Alvin was red in the face. Seeing this, Hiccup's face fell... "I think Alvin just caught- on to what I was doing."

"I'VE GOT TWELVE MEN ON DRAGONS – COUNTING MESELF!" Alvin bellowed across the space separating them. "THIRTY MORE ARE EITHER BEING: THROWN- OFF EVERY TIME THEY MOUNT, CHASED AROUND MY ARENA, OR SPINNING THROUGH THE AIR WITH NO CONTROL!"

"Truthfully, I was hoping you'd be one of the guys spinning around with no control. – Looks like neither of us got what we wanted!" Hiccup called back. Turning to the others, Hiccup said, "Let's go – Now."

They all leapt back on to their dragons, and shot into the air.

They heard Alvin bellow – wordlessly, and they heard they heard the sound of wing- beats. They knew without looking, that the Outcasts' dragons had joined them in the air.

Moments later, they were speeding away from Outcast Island – and, high above them, the Night Furies saw the opening they had been waiting for...

The air filled with ear- piercing wailing – as twenty fully- grown Night Furies descended on the Outcast Riders.

However, the Riders of Berk had eyes only for the two that were speeding towards them. Seconds later, they drew up next to Toothless – both uttering soft warbles, to which Toothless responded will obvious joy.

Hiccup let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and turned back to face the others... "Guys... They're... They're Toothless's parents..."

A moment later, the older Night Furies began to angle downward – towards a medium- sized island, a little ways ahead. Toothless and the others followed – some... somewhat hesitantly.

_On the island..._

As soon as they'd landed, Hiccup dismounted – and gestured to Toothless to 'go on.' Toothless nodded, and trotted over to where his parents were waiting. The three brought their heads together – and Hiccup could tell they were exchanging memories of their time apart.

After a time, they separated – and the three turned them turned to face the Vikings, standing nearby. This time, they felt the minds of three Night Furies brushing against theirs.

Then Toothless's mother spoke, **'We never thought we would see our son again.'** They could feel the emotion in her voice. Turning to face Hiccup, she added, **'Our son has also shared his memories of you – and the bond that has formed between the two of you. You complete each other.'** They could hear... approval, in the female dragon's 'voice'.

Toothless's father nodded, in agreement. **'Once our clan- mates, above, finish – we will return with you to Berk. We will confer with those who accompanied us here – to share our new knowledge with them, and discuss terms.'**

Hiccup was the first to find his voice, so he asked, "Um... terms for what?"

Amusement colored the thoughts of the Night Furies. This time, Toothless's mother answered. **'We mean the terms for an alliance: Between the Vikings of Berk and us – the Night Furies. Our son has placed his trust in you, and – if we can come to an agreement, so will we.'**

After that, Vikings and dragons turned that to watch the battle. It quickly became obvious that – even if Hiccup had told the Outcasts everything he knew, they and their dragons would not have had even the slightest of chances against the Night Furies.

Their biggest problem: Neither the Outcasts nor their dragons seemed able to inflict any sort of injury on their opponents. When Hiccup pointed this out, Toothless's father merely nodded, **'As Night Furies grow, our scales thicken into a sort of armour. By the time we are fully- grown, swords and axes barely scratch us. We are not invincible, but little exists for us to fear – Very little.' **

After a mere ten minutes, Alvin was forced to admit that they were outmatched – "FALL BACK! FALL BACK TO THE ISLAND!"

By then, only three Outcasts remained atop their dragons – Alvin, Savage, and another man. Of Mildew, the other Outcasts, and their dragons – there was no sign.

Once the remaining Outcast Riders had turned to flee, the Night Furies lost interest in them – as though they were not worth the trouble of chasing...

_**To be continued...**_


	13. Chapter 13

**The Isle of Night – Chapter Two**

**Part One: The Pact of the Night Furies**

The sun was setting by the time the Riders of Berk and their Night Fury escort reached the Berk. – The Night Furies could have easily made the journey in half the time, but – for obvious reasons, they matched their speed to that of the Vikings' dragons.

At first, the wild Night Furies were impatient – and saw no reason for the delay. But – as they flew – Toothless's parents went from dragon to dragon, sharing the knowledge of humans that their son had given them. –– One by one, the other wild- dragons began to understand that shrieking down at the island and roaring a greeting would... 'Probably' be misinterpreted.

As they neared Berk, the Night Furies – save for Toothless and his parents, began to circle – high above the village. Meanwhile, the Riders and Toothless's parents came in to land.

Over the course of an hour, the villagers listened as Hiccup and those with him explained what had happened. Then Toothless's father joined in the telling – explaining how the five Night Fury sentries had witnessed Hiccup and Toothless's abduction – and brought word to rest of their colony. When he had finished telling their part of the story, he explained the possibility of an alliance between the Night Furies – and the people of Berk.

During the flight back, Hiccup had worried about how the villagers might react to the offer, but he needn't have worried. The mere possibility received an enthusiastic welcome.

Once the cheering had faded, the dragon continued, **'Tonight, we will confer among ****_ourselves_**** – to determine our terms.'** Turning to Hiccup, he added, **'We would be honored if you would join us – for our deliberations.'**

Everyone had been so focused on the dragon's words; that it came as something of a surprise to see that there was – maybe, a half- hour of daylight left. The crowd of Vikings began to disperse – talking excitedly, as they hurried off to wolf down a very late supper. Nobody said a word about turning in for the night. – After everything that had happened, there was little chance of _anyone_ falling asleep anytime soon...

_Several hours later..._

As soon as darkness has descended, Hiccup settled into Toothless's saddle – and the three Night Furies rose to join the others of their kind – where they'd settled, high up in one of Berks' tallest mountains.

No one saw any sign of them, after that. Astrid waited outside with the others, but her thoughts were up in the mountains, with Hiccup – as they so often were...

_Sunrise, the following morning..._

None of them remembered falling asleep – nor did they recall seeing anyone else doze- off. Yet they all found themselves jolting to wakefulness as they heard a wailing fill the air. The stragglers were getting to their feet and stumbling forward, to join the others.

A moment later, Toothless landed – near the middle of the square, and Hiccup dismounted. A few seconds later, the other Night Furies landed a short distance behind them. – Unlike the Vikings and other dragons waiting on the ground, Hiccup and the Night Furies looked like they'd been awake for several hours – though they also looked fully rested, as though they'd all taken a quick power- nap, before they'd started their meeting. –– There was a moment of silence. Finally, Hiccup took a few steps forward, and spoke – formally, "The Night Furies of the Isle of Night have named their terms for an alliance. They are as follows: First, They will have their pick of Berks' uninhabited caverns – to make their new home. No one is to enter their territory without making their presence known – if you must enter at all. Understand: They will defend their territory from any unannounced intrusion – to the extent that they deem necessary. Second, From now on – every generation, for so long as this Pact remains in- force – one Night Fury will be partnered with a Viking – Specifically, the Viking who is next in line to be the Chief of Berk. This will help to ensure that both sides will hold to their agreement – as it is now presented.

In return: Should Berk ever be attacked, the full power of the Night Fury Colony may be called to its defence. Also; As Night Furies are most active at night, they will ensure that no enemy reaches the shores of Berk – From dusk to dawn, they will guard our shores." Hiccup paused, looking at the Vikings in front of him – moving from one face to the next. His eyes met Astrid's, and remained there, for a moment... Then Astrid looked away – blushing, slightly. Then Hiccup met his father's gaze, and he spoke – directly to him, "Now, they would hear our answer – Will the offer be accepted, and the Pact formed?"

There was a moment of silence, and then Stoick found his voice, "It would be an honor to accept the Pact – and to welcome the Night Furies to Berk."

Before the crowd of Vikings could do more than breathe, they felt the minds of twenty- three Night Furies flow over theirs, and the Dragons spoke as one, **'Then – From this day forward, your enemies, are Ours as well.'**

Even as the Vikings began to cheer, five Night Furies shot into the air. Seconds later, they vanished from view.

"Where're they going?" asked one of the Viking children.

It was Toothless who answered, **'To lead the rest of our colony to Berk – To our new home.'**

**Part Two: Dragons' Lore and Dragons' Armour**

In that one day, the Night Fury population on Berk had gone from one, to twenty- three. When the Vikings of Berk awoke the following morning, it was to the news that one- hundred and fifty- seven _grown_ Night Furies were settling into their new cavern- system, on the far side of the island – not including the twenty- six eggs that they'd brought with them, or the twelve who were closer to Toothless's age. (After mentioning the eggs, Toothless's mother reassured the Vikings, telling them that, **'Our eggs to not disturb the night with light- and- sound, when they hatch.'**)

The news of the arrival of so many Night Furies – _following_ their reaching an agreement – allowed the residents of Berk a feeling of security greater than ever before. One even said that he'd "almost pity the next group of fools that tried to attack Berk."

Toothless's father heard the comment, and brought his tail down on a near- by stone table – sending a wooden shield spinning into the sky. Then the dragon lifted its head, and shot a plasma- bolt up at it. A moment later, the shield fell to the ground – and the men saw the hole that the bolt had punched through its center, **'If any would dare, I say: Let Them Come.'**

Aside from Toothless and his parents, all of the other Night Furies remained in or near their system of caverns. While Toothless's parents would soon be joining the rest of their colony there, they seemed to be... waiting for 'something' to happen first, though they wouldn't say what.

Other than the arrival of the Night Fury Colony, it was... a fairly normal day on Berk.

_That evening..._

The villagers had gathered in the Great Hall for supper, when the event that Toothless's parents had been waiting for occurred: They were well into their meal, when the doors at the far end of the hall were pushed open from the outside.

Silence fell in the hall, as five Night Furies entered: Toothless's parents, two others of a similar age – and the one leading them, who was _much_ older. The fifth dragon also carried a large lump of what appeared to be black rock...

The elder Night Fury set the rock down on the floor – next to where Hiccup sat. Then, the old dragon spoke, **'Some of you may be wondering why we were willing to ally ourselves with you – or why we asked so little in return. It was because of you.' **The dragon was staring at Hiccup. **'We know of your victory against the Red Death and of the vision and conversation you had with Thor, afterwards. And we know that he removed much of what was discussed from your memory, and why – though He told us not to tell you. You will find out when the time is right.**

**However, I can tell you that this is a type of ore – unlike any other in existence. It formed in a chamber deep beneath our old roost – on the Isle of Night, in a pool of magma. For centuries, when one of our kind senses that they are about to die, they plunge into this pool, and return to the Fire from which Dragons were born. Over the centuries, the scales of our ancestors have mixed with the elements of the earth. – Finally, it became what you see here.'**

Silence filled the hall, then, until Hiccup finally said, "What do I do with this?"

**'You have a destiny – A future – greater than you or your people could begin to comprehend. However, in order to achieve it – you must live- out your full lifespan. Take this ore – Honor the memories of our ancestors, and let their armour be yours... Use this to forge your own armour. –– Battles will come, and you must be ready for them.'**

"I'm guessing this ore would be fireproof... How can it be forged?" So far, Hiccup was still the only person to have found his voice – everyone else still appeared stunned by what was happening.

**'It is fireproof – So you will have to enter a 'dragon- trance' to forge it. It will take the bond between "Toothless" and you to the next level. However, the first time you enter the 'dragon trance' must be during a lunar- eclipse – like the one that will occur at midnight tonight.'**

"I can't remember what Thor said in my vision... but I know it was important. Tell me where to go, and I'll be there."

**'When the time comes, "Toothless" will bring you.'** With that, the dragons turned – and left the hall, bringing the ore with them. Only after they left, did the sound of conversation fill the hall – but by then the only ones who could answer their questions, had gone...

_**To be continued...**_


	14. Chapter 14

**The Isle of Night – Chapter Three: The Dragon Trance**

**Part One: As the Sun Sets**

_Inside the Great Hall of Berk – Astrid's P.O.V._

Once the five Night Furies had left, all eyes turned to Toothless – in the hopes that _he_ might be able to shed some light on what was happening. However, they were to be disappointed – all Toothless could tell them was, **'I know ****_where_**** to go – and what must be done, but I do not know exactly what will happen. – This has never been done before, as you well know.'**

Astrid was about to speak, but then Stoick asked the question that she'd been about to, "Does he have to go alone, or can some of us come?"

Toothless considered the question for a moment, and then said, **'I can think of no reason why you shouldn't be able to watch the ritual... from a distance. A small group – and those who do choose to come must stop where I say, and come no closer. – As I said, nothing like this has ever been done before, and I think it unwise to tempt fate.'**

Astrid finally found her voice. "So, Me – I mean... _Us_," She gestured to herself the other riders, "Hiccup's dad, Gobber, and..." Immediately, the other Vikings in the hall started raising their voices – insisting that they should also be allowed to go. –– Astrid shot Stoick a look that said "Sorry" – then she, Hiccup, and the others slipped out of the hall.

_Outside – Astrid's P.O.V. (Still)_

Once they were outside; Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff – even Fishlegs, started talking excitedly about what had just happened. Astrid did her best to hide it, but... She was scared. She and Hiccup had been growing closer, of late – and the feeling of awkwardness that had always stopped her from telling Hiccup how she felt was finally starting to fade –– If something went wrong...

Astrid was able to keep her emotions hidden for a time. Then she met Hiccup's gaze for a moment, and she could tell he'd seen through her act. '_That's one of the things I like about him,'_ Astrid reflected. _'When he's around... I can be a warrior _and_ a girl...'_

She jolted back to reality when she realized that Hiccup was talking, "... should try to get some rest – It'll be a late night." He turned to Astrid, and tilted his head slightly – in the direction of the stretch of cliff where they'd often go to talk...

His message was clear: 'Meet you by the cliff, once the others have gone.' Astrid nodded – pretending to agree with Hiccup's suggestion that they all get some rest.

_Ten minutes later (Third- person P.O.V.)_

They met by the cliff and – for a minute they just watched the sun, as it began to set. Finally, Hiccup asked, "Are you ok? – You seemed... distracted, earlier."

"I'm... worried – about this 'ritual'. What if something goes wrong?" Astrid kept her eyes on the setting sun. She could hear the worry in her own voice, so she knew that Hiccup would notice it – too.

Hiccup stood there for several minutes – without a word. Astrid finally turned to face Hiccup, their eyes met. Then Hiccup said, "It's more than just the ritual, Astrid. I've been putting the pieces together... and I think I know what you're not saying."

Her blush was answer enough, she knew – so Astrid said, "You... You knew? – Then... Why didn't... Why didn't you..." For a moment, Astrid wasn't sure what she felt – awkward, nervous, a small flare of defensive- anger that Hiccup had kept silent... Then something registered – As her awkwardness finally began to dissolve, and a final thought fell into place. "You... You did... The past few weeks..."

Hiccup nodded, "I didn't _say_ anything – because nothing _needed_ to be said." Hiccup put an arm around Astrid, and for a moment the two of them stood there – in silence.

After a few minutes, Hiccup said, "As for the ritual... You've got nothing to worry about – Trust me. As we were leaving the Great Hall, Toothless gave me some idea of what will happen." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "Basically... my bond with Toothless will grow, and – in time – it'll reach its full potential. He and I will become more attuned to the other. I'll get stronger and faster... and my natural- instincts should also get a boost. – Most of the changes will be gradual, and my personality won't change at all."

Between Hiccup's revelations, and his reassurances – Astrid was finally found herself able to relax. She shot Hiccup a playful grin, and punched him in the arm – though not as hard as she had in the past. "I think I will get some rest – When do we all meet up, again?"

Hiccup 'winced' in mock- pain, and replied, "The eclipse itself is at midnight, and we're leaving a half- hour before. I'd say to plan to be at the village- square around a half- hour before that."

Astrid nodded, and the two of them parted ways – each homeward bound, to get a few hours of shut- eye.

**Part Two: The Eclipse**

Everyone was on- time... or – in most cases, early. Their group included: Hiccup and Toothless (naturally), Stoick, Astrid, the other Riders of Berk, Gobber, Spitelout – Snotlout's father, and three other men – all of whom looked rather smug.

A half- hour before midnight, they mounted their dragons – villagers without dragons got a lift on either Hookfang or the Twins' dragon. (Stormfly could have carried someone, but Astrid had asked to be exempt from the duty – when she and Stormfly had arrived to find only Hiccup and Stoick waiting. –– Stoick had noticed the flush on Astrid's cheeks, and saw her glance at Hiccup – who was adjusting Toothless's saddle – Again. Stoick did the math, and granted Astrid's request.)

Once they were in the air, Toothless lead them towards one of Berks' distant mountain peaks. High above, the moon shone full – but for a tiny sliver on one side...

As they neared the mountain, Toothless veered towards a shallow slope – which sat on one side of a wide open field. In the middle of the field, what must have been close to thirty Night Furies gathered – forming a large circle. Several blue 'bonfires' burned – a short distance away, providing enough light to see by.

From where they stood, they had a reasonably good view of the gathered Night Furies. Apparently Toothless thought so too, **'Here is where the rest of you stop. Once the ritual begins, my kind will act out of instinct – and they will protect the perimeter of the circle.'** Without argument, the others stopped – and watched as Hiccup and Toothless moved forward alone...

Dragon and Rider landed in the middle of the circle of Night Furies, and Hiccup dismounted. As the other Vikings and dragons watched, Hiccup and Toothless went to their knees – each facing the other. A gust of wind blew, and – for a moment, it seemed to carry a voice... like the words of a Night Fury – now long- dead... It said, 'Looook – Aaannnddd ssseeeeee yyyooorrrssseeelllfff rrreeefffllleeecccttteeeddd...' Then the next breeze, '... Iiinnn ttthhheee ooottthhheeerrr.'

As one, the Night Furies surrounding them began to beat their wings in unison... - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM...

High above, more of the moon had been covered in shadow. When the shadow had obscured a third of the moon, the Night Furies beat their wings a little faster... - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM...

Then the shadow covered two thirds of the moon... - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM - BOOM...

Then the booming stopped – suddenly.

A moment later, the moon was fully obscured – and as one, the gathered Night Furies, Toothless, and Hiccup lifted their faces and voices – in a single, unbroken Call of the Night Furies...

Then Hiccup turned to face the gathered Vikings and their dragons – and they saw that his eyes had turned yellow, and that they were glowing – They were the eyes of a Night Fury. Then he spoke – though the voice was not entirely his own, **"Now, the forging may begin. We will use the Berk forges – without interruption."** With that, Hiccup picked- up the lump of ore, which must have weighed close to seventy pounds – though Hiccup lifted it as though it was feather- light. Then he leapt what must have been five feet into the air – flipped, and landed in Toothless's saddle – Then the Night Furies surged into the air, and shot back towards the village of Berk...

**Part Three: The Dragon Armour**

For the rest of that night, the following day, and most of that night – the sound of metal on metal echoed from the forges of Berk.

The Night Furies had taken up positions surrounding the forge, and prevented anyone from approaching the building. If someone tried, the nearest Night Furies would growl a warning, and – wisely, the Viking(s) would back- off.

Then, in the middle of the third morning – without warning, Hiccup and the Night Furies landed in the village- square. He set an armful of cloth bundles on an empty stone table, then his eyes returned to their normal color – and he slumped forward. Toothless caught him, and gave Hiccup a chance to regain his footing.

A crowd started to form, and – to nobody's surprise – Astrid was in the lead, "Hiccup! Are... Are you ok?"

"Uh... Yeah – Wait... Wasn't it night a minute ago? The eclipse was about to started... and something about... 'seeing something reflected' – but..." Then his eyes landed on the bundle. "Is that what I think it is?"

Wordlessly, he began to unwrap the cloth bundles – to choruses of stunned exclamations. The first two bundles contained matching gauntlets – though the metal was unlike anything any of them had seen or heard tell of... The metal bore the outline of dragons' scales – in every way. And it was not 'traditional' armour – which became evident as Hiccup made his way from bundle to bundle. This armour would cover him completely – from head to toe... (**AN****: **Meant to resemble a knight's armour – as opposed to 'traditional' Viking armour.)

Finally all that was left to unwrap was the helmet, and what looked like a wrapped sword. Hiccup unwrapped the helmet, next – revealing a metal shell shaped in the likeness of a Night Fury's head... and it was a good likeness, once the visor was pulled down.

Last of all was the sword: A blade of middling length, and made – from hilt to tip – of the same metal as Hiccup's new armour. Experimentally, Hiccup swung the sword at the end of the stone table. The blade passed through the stone as though it was warmed- butter – a second later, the chunk of granite hit the floor with a 'thunk'.

For a moment, nobody spoke – Everyone was staring at the chunk of granite in stunned disbelief: No sword in history could have done such a thing...

Gobber finally found his voice, "Does... Does the blade have a name?" It was, after all, tradition for a legendary blade to be given a name – and nobody doubted that this _would be_ a legendary blade...

Hiccup – who couldn't remember making _any_ of this – nodded, "Its name if 'Fury'."

Then Gobber suggested Hiccup try on the armour – as Hiccup appeared to be in shock. Hiccup nodded, and began to don the various pieces of the armour that he'd just unwrapped...

The armour felt surprisingly light and flexible, and Hiccup knew that it would not only protect him, but that it would do so without hindering his movement in any way... He also had a feeling that the armour would – somehow – grow as he did... That it was 'attuned' to him. – The idea seemed impossible; but... somehow, he knew that it was true...

When Hiccup was finished, the elder Night Fury who'd visited the Great Hall stepped forward and examined Hiccup – in the armour. Finally, he nodded, **'Yes... ****_Now_**** you are ready for the battles that will come.'**

_The following day..._

Hiccup and Toothless were – to no one's surprise – exhausted by the work. Once Hiccup had brought the armour safely home – arranging it on a wooden stand that had been brought up for it, he collapsed into bed. They spent the rest of that day and most of that night asleep – having been awake for _over forty- eight hours_...

The following morning, Hiccup got up – and started to go about his usual routine: First was his and Toothless' morning- flight. Then, on returning, his usual chores – after which he'd be free for the rest of the day...

It was only then – when he was looking for his friends, that Hiccup realized that something had changed: He'd finished his chores a little faster than usual, and he wasn't as tired. – But... there was something else: Something in his mind seemed to shift, and he started to remember...

_An instant later, he was surrounded by blinding light – and he once again stood before Thor... _

Hiccup: _"What's happen...? –– Oh... Thor – Sir._" _This time, Hiccup did kneel – recalling that last time, he'd been in shock – and hadn't. "Is something... wrong?"_

Thor: **_"No – But you were beginning to remember what was discussed when we last spoke. You have done well so far, but for now, that information will have to wait."_**

Hiccup: {single nod} _"I understand."_

Thor: {raised eyebrow} **_"...And you don't have a problem with that? – I would have to remove the memories in any case, but I didn't think you'd take it quite this well..."_**

Hiccup: _"I am curious – Especially after Loki's visit... but he said that both Odin and you had told him to keep quiet. You're Gods – You see the big picture: If you think it best to wait, then I won't argue."_

_ Thor nodded – appearing satisfied, __**"Well – In that case, I won't keep you. Carry on."**_

_... The vision faded..._

Hiccup was standing next to Toothless, in the middle of the path. He couldn't remember stopping, and didn't know why he had. – He was alone, except for Toothless...

He shrugged, got on Toothless's back, and they flew the rest of the way to the Dragon Arena – where, Hiccup suspected, they'd find his friends...

_Soon..._

Hiccup was right: Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruff, Tuff, Snotlout and their dragons – All doing their own thing. The moment they saw him, though, they and their dragons hurried over to meet them – as they landed and Hiccup dismounted.

They spent some time discussing the arrival of the Night Furies, and Hiccup's new armour. But the conversation also included other topics: What Alvin might be up to, the 'battles' that the elder Night Fury had hinted 'might' come, and so on...

Whenever Hiccup's armour and sword came up in conversation, Snotlout scowled – and tried to change the topic as soon as possible. (The others could tell he was jealous, and trying to hide it – Though he was doing a very bad job of it.)

After a time, the six Vikings mounted their five dragons, and rose into the air...

**END**

**AN****:** This will be the last chapter for this story. - My plan is to continue the story with Season Two- inspiration... When it finally comes out, that it.


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